Not just drugs. Technology is increasingly contributing to improving the quality of life of patients with multiple sclerosis, simplifying their daily life, but also to bring together the experts who deal with this pathology and to virtually bring doctors and patients closer together. This is the case of two Apps developed by the pharmaceutical company Merck. “Our commitment in multiple sclerosis is not limited to the development and offer of cutting-edge drugs. For us, making a difference means operating as a 360-degree Healthcare Provider, also going ‘beyond the drug’ and exploiting the potential of Digital Health to respond to the needs of patients and health professionals “, underlined the CEO and president of Merck Italia, in a meeting with journalists on the sidelines of the Ectrims congress, the main scientific event dedicated to multiple sclerosis research, currently underway. in Amsterdam.
Mia, acronym for Merck interaction App, is a sort of social network dedicated to neurologists dealing with multiple sclerosis. The idea was born during the Covid pandemic, to cope with the difficulty of interaction between the same specialists, in the absence of congresses and conferences due to the emergency situation. The tool allows the creation of virtual text rooms, a sort of forum, within which the results of the latest research are shared, and where doctors can exchange opinions, questions and even discuss individual patient cases on a daily basis. In the future, the aim is to expand the ‘social’ to experts from different disciplines: so, for example, a neurologist will be able to discuss with a gynecologist to better evaluate the opportunities of a patient who wishes to become a mother.
The second application launched by Merck for multiple sclerosis, named M3, is dedicated to patients treated with cladribrin tablets, a relatively recent molecule with innovative methods and times of administration. Through the App, the exams to be done between one treatment and the next and the drugs to be taken are reminded. For doctors it is a tool that allows you to monitor adherence to therapy, the effects, the course of the pathology and the patient’s state of health, capturing and evaluating in real time doubts and symptoms that could be an alarm bell.