GSK jumps into digital health for major new arthritis study

Big pharma giant GSK says it is the first company in the arena to use Apple ResearchKit for real-world evidence.

GSK launched has launched the study for rheumatoid arthritis patients in the US, who will participate using their iPhones.

The purpose of the Patient Rheumatoid Arthritis Data from the Real World (PARADE) study – is not to test a new medicine but to “bring patients into the center of research so we can better understand the disease and its impact” according to the company.

The goal, GSK says, is to learn from real patient experiences and to improve the way medicine is developed in the future by making it easier for people to participate in research.

Apple’s ResearchKit is a software framework designed specifically for medical research to help doctors and scientists gather data more frequently. 

ResearchKit is becoming increasingly popular amongst researchers, but GSK claims to be the first in its industry to use it in research, in this case, looking at the impact a patient’s disease has on their day-to-day life.

Study participants can complete tasks or respond to symptom surveys directly via the app.

Before they begin, they are presented with an interactive informed consent process, which helps explain the study's purpose, how data will be used and the app's privacy policy.

Medidata Solutions, a cloud technology company for clinical research, is powering the app to securely collect and analyse patient data.

Rob DiCicco, vice president, clinical innovation, GSK, said: “Our goal is to engage with patients in a new way that integrates the research into their daily lives versus the traditional model that requires patients to travel to their doctors’ offices.

“By making research as easy and accessible as possible for patients, we have the potential to disrupt the model for how we conduct research in the future and ultimately improve patient health.”