AstraZeneca has expanded its mHealth project portfolio, with the launch of a new COPD management initiative that it will deliver in collaboration with patient engagement firm Exco InTouch.  

The Me&MyCOPD programme, which was piloted last year, uses interactive mobile phone and internet-based health tools to improve patients' management of their condition and assist their carers and healthcare providers.  

Patients enrolled on the UK programme will be offered personalised coaching and real-time information about their disease and treatment, enabling them to collect, transmit and review their own clinical data.  

Part of this will involve the mHealth programme's new Android app, which hit Google Play earlier this month and provides easy access to patients' goals and care plan, as well as healthcare advice.  

Mark Brincat, director of product strategy at Exco InTouch, said: “Me&MyCOPD will help patients to better control their condition and healthcare providers to make more informed decisions, tailoring care pathways to each patient's individual needs.  

“This translates into improving patient welfare and their quality of life by reducing the number of unplanned hospital admissions and the frequency and severity of exacerbations, decreasing the overall treatment costs at the same time.”  

COPD is one of the most common respiratory diseases in the UK and thought to affect over three million people - of which only about 900,000 have been diagnosed.  

AstraZeneca's disease management programme aims to address challenges such as improper use of medications by the patients or failing to attend clinic visits.  

The work falls within AZ's 'intelligent pharmaceuticals' strategy, under whose auspices the company earlier this year started working with Vodafone on a global mHealth partnership for cardiovascular services.

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