Exco InTouch knows why most patients become noncompliant: they simply forget.  Exco InTouch (Hertfordshire, UK) poses what seems like a trick question on its Web site. What's the most important part of a trial? The CRF? Drug? Site?

Nope, it's the patient. Often patients become noncompliant due to simple forgetfulness. That's why Exco InTouch offers an astoundingly simple concept: remind the patients to take their meds.

Their SMS (Short Messaging Service) sends out text messages to patients of a clinical trial. "Have you taken your medicine today? Yes or No." The message serves two crucial purposes: it gives patients a daily reminder to stay compliant, and it creates an online patient diary of compliance.

Patients choose what time of day to receive the message, and they can choose between a text-messaging-enabled phone or a computer with an Internet connection. Billions of these messages are sent every year: just one of them a day could ensure statistical significance in an upcoming clinical trial.

Read the original article here.