New mHealth Tools Enable HIV Patients to Become 2.9 Times More Successful at Managing Disease

January 27, 2015, Phoenix, AZ - mscripts and Avella Specialty Pharmacy have recently completed analyzing data demonstrating the effectiveness of mobile pharmacy apps in helping HIV patients better manage their disease through improved medication adherence. Results from this analysis show that HIV patients using a mobile app which provides refill reminders, dosage reminders and other prescription management functionality are 2.9 times more likely to be adherent.

Medication adherence - taking medication on time and as prescribed - is essential to the efficacy of HIV treatment, as patients with this condition must maintain 90% adherence to achieve viral suppression otherwise they risk an increase in treatment failure. This study used Proportion of Days Covered (PDC) to assess the adherence rate of HIV patients who were taking both single and multi-source medications including Atripla®, Truvada®. The data revealed that 79.0% of Avella’s HIV patients who were using the mscripts mobile application achieved >/= 90% adherence rate, while 65.3% of Avella’s patients not using the platform had achieved >/= 90% adherence rate. This further demonstrates the impact that the mobile app had on already highly adherent population. Unfortunately, a 2014 report from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention found only 30% of HIV-positive Americans have achieved viral suppression. According to the National Institute of Health (NIH), loss of virologic control as a consequence of non-adherence to antiretroviral medication may lead to drug resistance and loss of future treatment options.

“HIV regimens have decreased in complexity, however, medication non-adherence continues to be a major cause of HIV-related morbidity and mortality,” said Dr. Eric Sredzinski, Pharm.D. Avella’s Executive Vice President of Clinical Affairs and Quality Assurance. “This new mobile health application is yet another opportunity for Avella to maintain its focus on providing comprehensive support to our patients while empowering them to achieve improved outcomes.”

This new data showcases the value of mobile health strategies in engaging patients and improving medication adherence. In addition to the increases in overall adherence, Avella’s HIV patients using the mscripts mobile application were nearly three times less likely to discontinue their medication refills.

“Avella’s patient population is already highly adherent when compared to the general population,” said mscripts’ CEO, Mark Cullen. “We’re excited to see that getting those patients on the mobile platform will make an even more significant impact.”

About Avella Specialty Pharmacy:

Headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, Avella Specialty Pharmacy is a National Accredited Specialty Pharmacy, providing individualized care and support to patients since 1996. Avella's clinical pharmacists and staff members are experts in managing complex disease states and providing compassionate care. The company offers a nationwide distribution service to complement its retail locations. Avella reached 1,772th on Inc. magazine's 2014 list of the 5,000 fastest-growing private companies in the country. In addition, the Arizona Corporate Excellence Awards has named Avella Specialty Pharmacy as the fastest-growing private company based in the state. For more information, please visit www.avella.com.

About mscripts:

mscripts promotes patient adherence and engagement through their innovative, easy-to-use mobile and web health management platform. The mscripts’ platform serves 2.5 million patients spanning national, regional and specialty pharmacies along with hospital out-patient systems. Pharmacy patients manage their prescriptions and health on their mobile phones through 2-way interactive SMS messaging and branded mobile applications, making refilling convenient and remembering to take medications easy. mscripts improves adherence by improving refill rates, providing education and health information, and applying advanced analytics to better understand patient behavior. Learn more at www.mscripts.com.