The great global challenges

Non-therapeutic adherence with medical prescriptions is the main cause of uneffective treatment and healthcare costs.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), adherence to chronic therapies in developed countries does not exceed 50%. The effects of non-adherence to therapy are dreadful, just think that in Europe alone this problem causes 194,500 deaths and €125 billion costs for increased hospitalisation every year.

When it comes to Italy, only half of the almost 8 million patients with chronic diseases take their medicines correctly, as the report on “The use of medicines in Italy” shows (source: OSMED – National Observatory on the Use of Medicines). Such scenario represents a serious harm for patients, but also impact the sustainability of the National Health Services.

As part of R&D, MatCare push efforts on the development of “intelligent packaging” which provides support in enhancing therapeutic adherence through a hybrid “real & digital” system (R&D Pack) which is easily accessible to patients and caregivers.

Why a hybrid service? It allows broader accessibility with the possibility of combining the perspectives of both patient (frequently older and with more difficulties with digital tools) and caregiver (generally closer to the digital world).

The counterfeiting of medicines impact on about 10% of the world pharmaceutical market.

Among the most frequently falsified drugs, in industrialised countries, there are the so-called lifestyle-saving drugs (such as those against erectile dysfunction, but also steroid hormones and psychotropic drugs), used to improve lifestyle and sold through unauthorised sales channels. This causes great economic lost, but the impact that not original products can have on people’s health is even greater.

In order to fight against this phenomenon and protect patients and the market, MatCare has invested in a digital technology that allows easy and immediate monitoring of any potential counterfeiting. This new technology applied to the primary and secondary package of pharmaceutical products can be offered to the different actors in the pharmaceutical supply chain, with a ‘friendly-use’ philosophy suitable for each of them: from manufacturing companies to wholesalers, to pharmacists up to the final patient.

In recent decades, citizens have been playing an increasingly active role in healthcare decision-making processes regarding the management of their diseases. This cultural scenario is part of a major trend, called the ageing of the population, which goes in parallel with an increase in chronic diseases and comorbidities. These last are the main cause of the deaths of 40 million people every year.

What are the most important risks for chronic diseases? An unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, and tobacco consumption.

Thanks to a hybrid “real & digital” communication system (R&D Pack), MatCare can support lifestyle education (diet and physical activity) which is a key element that converges with pharmacological therapy, especially for chronic diseases (hypertension, diabetes, heart failure, etc.) that account for more than 75% of pharmaceutical consumption and expenditure.

Within an intelligent pack, the patient can find lifestyle indications that help primary and secondary prevention.

The challenge of making a contribution to the planet, the pharmaceutical sector has some responsibilities for large quantities of materials produced every year.

In fact, sources show that primary pharmaceutical packaging is essentially centred on three materials: aluminium (circa 60%), glass (circa 20%) and plastic (circa 20%). Primary and secondary packaging amounts to about 90 ton per year: this is a major challenge for the disposal of this waste, particularly for plastic and aluminium.

This is the core mission of MatCare’s expertise in developing new green and sustainable high-performance materials.

Through a strong process of research and development, we have realised materials that guarantee recyclable materials for high environmental sustainability, blister pack without aluminium from and  same performance in terms of quality and safety standards required by the pharmaceutical sector, as standard products.