Pill reminders join the electronic age

By RICHARD WOOD

Pharmaceutical company Glaxo SmithKline has introduced a mobile phone and e-mail text messaging reminder service for users of its Zyban stop smoking and Flixotide asthma prescription medicines.

Users sign up on the company website and are sent automatic reminders, through mobile phone or e-mail, to take their medicines and pick up prescriptions. There is no added cost and a "buddy" can also get the reminders.

The systems are called Pillminder and Puffminder and were tested last year. Full service began in December. Another system is being planned, for Twinrix hepatitis vaccine.

IT and e-business manager David Cartman said the service had been a world first New Zealand initiative and is now being used as a model for similar services from other international offices of GSK. The technology for the local operation has been provided by New Zealand software firm Touchpoint.

Mr Cartman said there were now 200 users.

He said research showed that compliance had a huge effect on the performance of both medicines. The system works in with GSK's existing support programme which utilises e-mail to encourage people to continue.

He said it was too soon to measure numerically the effect of the system but the company has generally found that support plans increase compliance substantially.

Glaxo SmithKline

Pillminder

Puffminder