The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has shown to the world the immense importance of the healthcare industry. Despite the threat of the pandemic and the resulting disruptions in operations, the healthcare sector continued to operate to serve the people and boost the economy directly and indirectly. In fact, there have been attempts by some ingenious entrepreneurs to provide novel solutions in the healthcare sector during this crisis, by leveraging technology. An example for such an attempt is Dexium Technologies founded in 2018 by Dr. Amit Dang (pharmaceutical physician, CEO) along with Mrs. Dimple Dang (data scientist) and Dr. Pawan Rane (head and neck oncosurgeon).
Origins of the Company
The company was established to address a basic but difficult-to-tackle healthcare problem: poor medication adherence. Failure to adhere to medication schedules, as advised by the doctors, is a major contributor for patients having less than desirable health outcomes, despite the availability of effective and safe medications for treating many diseases. For example, as many as 45% of patients with Type 2 diabetes in India are known to have poor medication adherence. This results in worsening of disease leading to complications, which escalates healthcare costs, and causes overburdening of healthcare infrastructure: all of which can be easily prevented by simply adhering to the physician’s advice. A thought to develop a technology-based solution for improving medication adherence was the seed that resulted in the establishment of Dexium Technologies.
Unique Product Strategy
The flagship product of Dexium – KYT-Adhere – is an artificial intelligence (AI) enabled, disease-customizable, prescription digital therapeutic (PDT) smartphone application which is designed to improve medication adherence. By incorporating the principles of gamification to achieve its goals, KYT-Adhere aims to convert the dull task of consuming pills on a daily basis into a ‘fun activity’, thereby fulfilling its motto to ‘Engage, educate, and empower’ patients. As of today, KYT-Adhere is the only app in the Indian market which rewards patients for adhering to their doctor’s prescription. By integrating medication reminders and rewards, the app aims to help patients adhere to their prescription, thereby improving their health, and at the same time rewarding them for the same.
The effectiveness of KYT-Adhere in improving medication adherence and treatment outcomes was proven in a recent clinical trial among diabetic patients. Within a span of 3 months, patients who used KYT-Adhere experienced an improvement in medication adherence by 22.6%, which was accompanied by a reduction in Hba1c levels by 1.0%. These improvements were significant when compared to patients who did not use the app. The benefits persisted for at least 3 months even after the rewards were stopped. These exciting results are now accepted for publication in the prestigious Journal of Diabetology.
Core Members at the Helm
Dr. Dang ventured into the digital medicine and therapeutics space through Dexium technologies, along with co-founders Mrs. Dang—a data scientist, and Dr. Rane—an oncosurgeon. Dr. Dang beholds a rich entrepreneurial journey of establishing various healthcare communications companies throughout his career. He also was the convener of the Indian Medical Advisors Summit (INMAS) and the Indian Patients Access Summit (iPAS), both of which were first-of-its-kind in India.
The company’s team comprises talented and passionate members with a shared vision and mission. The company considers its employees as its best investment, and regularly invests in their training and professional development. For instance, during the pandemic, the company came up with 4 in-house research activities that were published in renowned journals.
Effective Crisis Management
The COVID-19 pandemic was an unprecedented crisis that affected all sections of society, and the healthcare sector was not an exception. On the one hand, the sudden increase in the number of COVID-19 patients caused a strain on the healthcare resources, and on the other hand, patients suffering from other health conditions were restricted from accessing their healthcare providers because they were busy managing COVID-19 patients. Also, the fear of contracting COVID-19 prevented patients from approaching the hospital; this also resulted in their seeking out alternative means of resolving their healthcare needs, majorly in the form of telehealth and telemedicine solutions.
The Pandemic also affected the KYT-Adhere clinical trial with diabetic patients, which was initiated just before the onset of the pandemic. Because of the restrictions due to the pandemic, the 2nd and 3rd visits in the clinical trial had to be conducted through telehealth consultations. However, this enabled an evaluation of KYT-Adhere’s functioning and operations amidst the COVID-19 crisis. The company was able to achieve near-complete follow-up in its study, proving that telehealth works. Thus, the company was able to complete its clinical trial despite the pandemic, proving that KYT-Adhere can improve medication adherence even in the setting of the pandemic.
A Future Shaped by Technology Dr. Dang believes that digitalization of health is inevitable, and the pandemic simply accelerated it. “We have already witnessed how patients embraced the concept of online consultations and online delivery of medicines. Over the next 5 years, digitalization is expected to continue further, which can lead to the development of apps to aid in remote diagnosis and treatment. This can help reduce the burden of healthcare workers in the clinic the way ATM machines reduced the burden of bankers”, adds Dr. Dang. He believes that technology has the potential to improve every aspect of patient engagement, including better scheduling of patient appointments, smoother patient management in hospitals, transparent billing process, maintenance of patient records, rational prescriptions, and inter-hospital referrals, thereby significantly improving the value for money.
Read Full Magazine: The 20 Most Promising Healthcare Solution Providers, 2021
