The very mention of Cancer strikes fear in all and affects patients in many ways. Managing this disease is challenging for both patients and caregivers, which is why Bayer Malaysia and Zuellig Pharma CareConnect have come together to facilitate better treatment outcomes.

In conjunction with World Cancer Day on 4 February 2018, Bayer Malaysia partnered with our CareConnect team to launch an integrated Patient Assistance Program (PAP) through a web app called BayPAP. Specially targeted at Malaysian patients diagnosed with liver cancer, the app serves as a digital healthcare management tool that hosts comprehensive patient medical records and helps ensure patients stay on course with their treatment. BayPAP web app allows easier administration of PAP, where patients have easy access to a one-stop web-based medication assistance resource. By going digital, patients can redeem their free medication within three days, reducing medication redemption lead time which typically takes up to a few weeks. Forgetting to and not knowing how to take their medication have deterred patients from staying on course. With BayPAP, patients are reminded through text messages and can seamlessly keep track of their medical records, treatment and upcoming appointments.

With an increasing number of Malaysians suffering from liver cancer, the introduction of BayPAP is timely. Liver cancer is the sixth most common cancer and the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Patients in advanced stages of liver cancer generally have an expected survival rate of up to a year.

Moses Hee, Vice President, CareConnect at Zuellig Pharma shares, “Unless we dramatically change our approach, we will never be able to keep up with the region’s fast-growing healthcare needs. Effective and affordable disease prevention measures are important, but disease management are equally important and there is a real need for us to help patients better manage their medical conditions, especially chronic conditions.

BayPAP, a jointly developed program by Bayer and Zuellig Pharma CareConnect, is a great example of such initiative that helps patients afford and adhere to medical treatment.” BayPAP is a milestone in the healthcare industry’s digital journey. In fact, the World Health Organisation confirmed that an electronic system for medical records has resulted in an increased adherence to guideline-based care, enhanced surveillance and monitoring, and fewer medication-related errors, such as incorrect prescriptions. Going paperless will not only ensure records are available at one’s fingertips, but improve operational excellence by reducing time spent on paperwork.

The web app is an extension of Zuellig Pharma’s focus on digital innovation in healthcare. In 2017, the company launched a holistic and interactive lifestyle management application called SWITCH, to help users manage diseases caused by lifestyle choices. Zuellig Pharma also invested in a health-tech startup which helps doctors migrate to electronic records using tablets, making the digitisation of medical information much more efficient.

For more information on BayPAP, please contact Sandy Ho, Regional Head, CareConnect at Zuellig Pharma Solutions at sandyho@zuelligpharma.com.