Connectivity Report

Summary

• The worldwide market for connected drug delivery devices is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of more than 25%, topping $700 million by 2025
• With more demand for treatments of chronic conditions, a growing number of patients will manage their care and give themselves treatments at home, or else hospitals and clinics may not be able to keep up
• Connected devices are an essential tool for providing data streams that allow healthcare providers to monitor and manage patient conditions remotely
• With healthcare staff shortages worsening and more people needing care, at-home treatment will become more critical, increasing the need for digital remote connectivity
• Developers of connected drug delivery devices face pressure to design products that support connectivity while also reducing waste, especially from built-in electronics that use rare earth elements
• Governments, insurers, healthcare providers, and pharmaceutical companies must work closely to create data interoperability standards and address the risks of data breaches in a landscape of connected healthcare devices

Remote patient management

During worldwide health emergencies, especially outbreaks of infectious diseases, remote consultations with healthcare providers and the ability for patients to take treatments at home become especially important. In fact, overworked health systems globally won’t be sustainable in the long term—crisis or not—without a focus on patient self-management and telehealth. The need for health services is increasing as non-infectious diseases and older populations grow, so much so that the World Economic Forum¹ says we’ll need to double the global healthcare workforce by 2030. This comes at a time when staff shortages are a challenge everywhere².

Effective remote patient care relies on bringing digital transformation to healthcare. According to a new Siemens research paper³, remote services are seen as one of the top three benefits of digitalization by health systems worldwide. Digital remote healthcare must offer several key features to meet society’s responsibilities to patients: access to clinicians, making sure therapies are given at the correct dose and time, and monitoring how patients are responding.

Growth in digital drug delivery devices

Remote patient monitoring is already a well-established part of healthcare digitalization, especially for conditions like diabetes and chronic respiratory diseases where patients have long played a hands-on role in managing their care⁴. Now, digital innovation is also appearing in connected drug delivery devices. According to Owen Mumford⁵, global sales of connected drug delivery devices (including injection and inhalation devices) are on track to hit $706 million by 2025, up from $225 million in 2020—a growth rate above 25% per year. Some research even suggests that connected devices are being adopted even faster in clinical trials⁶.

So, market experts predict strong growth for connected drug delivery devices, though the pace will vary between countries. How fast mobile health (mHealth) technology is adopted offers a good window into different national attitudes, which could also shape how connected drug delivery devices are adopted. For example, mHealth technology rollout has been slowest in Germany and Austria, moderate in the UK, and quicker in France and Italy⁷. In the US, adoption is further along than in Europe⁸.

Stakeholder motivations and connected devices

Many key groups—insurers, healthcare providers, pharmaceutical companies, and patients—help drive adoption of connected drug delivery devices. Each group has its own viewpoint, so it’s helpful to spell out the reasons, motivators, and current attitudes behind their decisions.

1. Payers

Whether they’re health insurance companies or public health systems, payers are focusing more and more on getting the most for their healthcare dollars. Outcomes-based healthcare isn’t just an idea anymore—it’s policy in many developed countries. The goal is to build healthier societies that use less healthcare over time, which in turn lowers costs. Enabling more home-based care, outside of expensive hospitals, is part of this shift. Digital technology is key to making this happen by providing data pathways for monitoring, prescription, and communication between clinicians and patients remotely.

Another factor is the rise of biological medicines that treat both chronic and acute conditions that previously had few options. Recent years saw biologics introduced for autoimmune diseases like Crohn’s and rheumatoid arthritis. Now, new biologics are focusing on cancer. While these can save money by avoiding future complications, the upfront costs are high, even when biosimilar markets begin to compete. This makes connected drug delivery devices a critical tool for ensuring patients stick to their treatment plans. These devices—with built-in electronics and sensors that track dose and timing—don’t guarantee adherence by themselves, but they do offer data for healthcare providers to monitor and support patients remotely.

2. Clinicians

Healthcare providers want to achieve the best outcomes for as many patients as possible. They care about treatment adherence for patient benefit, and are interested in connected devices as a way to support this. Some prototype technologies even allow for dosages to be set remotely based on health data⁹, though these aren’t yet widely available. More advanced tools—beyond reminders and monitoring doses, for example monitoring side effects or the impact of changing treatments—could show up in the medium-term future¹⁰. Early examples include closed-loop systems for diabetes, where blood sugar is monitored and insulin delivery is adjusted automatically, with all data fed directly into clinical records. For complex treatments like those for cancer, remote monitoring of adherence is especially important.

3. Patients

Owen Mumford invests in research focused on Human Factors in device development and design, now a required part of regulatory approval. Human Factors work ensures patient comfort and ease of use are made top priorities early in the design process, so challenges can be managed right away. This makes it more likely that patients will accept new devices and avoids unnecessary complications for busy healthcare workers.

As medicine becomes more individualized, connectivity is likely to grow in its value to patients—helping to boost immediate results and long-term health. This focus is seen in global policy. For example, Europe’s Horizon 2020 program, active since 2015, promotes personalized healthcare and helps citizens take more ownership of their health¹¹. Data flows from connected devices are key to making this happen. Who wouldn’t want reassurance that they’re staying on track with their therapy and that their treatment fits their needs? Still, information delivery to patients must be managed carefully: some people are overwhelmed by too much data, while others may get stressed or even fixate on regular updates.

On the flip side, qualitative research by Owen Mumford with a focus group of over 120 people found that, at the moment, digital features are not a top priority for patients. Comfort and ease of use rate highest for auto-injectors. But given the clear benefits of adherence and personalization, this report’s authors suggest that most health systems should invest in programs to educate patients (and nurses) about the advantages of drug delivery device digitalization to encourage adoption and enthusiastic use.

4. Pharmaceutical Companies

Regulators are adopting digital tech with careful scrutiny and a focus on proven results. For example, the FDA¹² in the US and NICE¹³ in the UK have set evidence-based standards for digital health tech—demanding solid proof of value. There’s often a tension in health systems: digital devices might offer cost savings by enabling remote care, but until connected drug delivery devices are in wide use, field testing the real-world benefits of all this data can’t truly happen.

Even so, pharmaceutical companies are embracing digital connectivity in drug delivery devices for several reasons. First, there’s growing policy pressure for more remote care and self-treatment. Companies that don’t bring digital capabilities to the market may lose ground, especially in competitive spaces. Second, as the push for outcomes-based healthcare grows, no pharma company wants to risk poor results because their drugs are used inconsistently. Connected devices help track and improve adherence. With expensive new biologics, any way to cut down on waste or incorrect dosing is welcome.

Finally, pharma (and medical device) firms are moving toward managed services, not just supplying products. Rather than simply selling a drug, they might offer an entire patient care package around it—training, support, adherence tracking, help lines, and more. Factors like staff shortages and specialized training demands help drive this trend. For managed service providers, digital connectivity—especially via drug delivery solutions—is crucial for cost-effectively delivering their services.

As one global consultancy¹⁴ states, “Many companies are also looking to demonstrate value for money through a combination of new pricing models, improved benefit tracking, and the introduction of ‘wraparound’ services that go ‘beyond the pill’.” Another¹⁵ reports, “Patient support programs are another way in which pharmaceutical companies can support patients with disease understanding and management, and treatment adherence.” Today, governments and health insurers demand clear evidence that the medicines they purchase actually work. This is a major consideration for pharma, and the ability to show clear value for money is a big differentiator. Pharma companies will play an active part in providing and supervising health management services for patients.

Connected devices – sustainable solutions

Initial independent studies suggest that connected devices can play a key role in helping patients stick to treatment plans¹⁶. But switching patients to these devices also creates cost and environmental challenges. While built-in electronics are getting cheaper all the time, they contain rare-earth metals that we don’t want to waste¹⁷. Financially, moving from traditional disposable devices to fully disposable connected devices could drive up costs quickly.

Most companies are taking a hybrid approach to address both cost and environmental issues in developing connected drug delivery devices. Typically, the electronics are put in a connected shell that can be reused, while traditional auto-injectors are placed inside this shell as the disposable part—achieving cost savings and bringing in digital benefits.

More recently, designers are going even further. They’re working to make the electronic component a separate, self-contained unit inside the device, aiming for even greater reusability and sustainability. Even reusable products eventually wear out. But if the electronics can be kept and simply inserted into a new device, waste and environmental impact are further reduced.

Conclusions

All the evidence in this report shows that health systems, patients, and pharmaceutical companies all have things to gain—each in their own way—from the rollout of connected drug delivery devices. Designers are working on connected solutions that use existing auto-injectors to help trim both cost and environmental impact.

Some challenges remain as these products enter the market. First, there is a need for standard data transfer protocols so devices can work seamlessly with clinical IT systems. Creating these standards is a shared task for governments, health insurers, care providers, and drug companies alike. Teamwork is critical. Second, there’s the thorny area of data protection.

Data security in a cloud-focused world isn’t just a healthcare problem; it affects every area where connected devices offer new entry points for cyber threats. Collaboration between regulators and the industry is essential, and companies with open approaches to data and security may have an edge.

Connected drug delivery devices look poised for significant growth, given the promising improvements they bring to the effectiveness and efficiency of healthcare systems. All stakeholders should work in partnership to clear away obstacles and unlock these benefits.