NCT01541384

Brief Summary

Novel wireless technology has created inexpensive tools that allow both accurate monitoring of adherence to pills as well as real-time interventions such as automated reminders in the event of a missed dose. In this study, the investigators will use Vitality GlowCaps, an electronic pill bottle. These pill bottles provide an unbiased assessment of pill bottle opening and a valid approach to verifying self-administered pill taking, reflecting not only daily use but also patterns of drug use and timing. At the prescribed times, bottle will electronically transmit whether a subject opened the pill cap to take the immunosuppressant medication via a built-in transmitter to the central server. The investigators will randomize participants to usual care, customized reminders, and customized reminders paired with provider notification in the event of low adherence. The investigators' aim: To improve immunosuppression (IS) medication adherence in kidney transplant recipients. The investigators' hypotheses: a) Automated reminders will improve adherence to immunosuppression compared to usual care, and b) Automated reminders, paired with provider notification about patients with poor adherence, will improve adherence to immunosuppression compared to usual care.

Trial Health

87
On Track

Trial Health Score

Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach

Enrollment
120

participants targeted

Target at P50-P75 for not_applicable

Timeline
Completed

Started Feb 2012

Longer than P75 for not_applicable

Geographic Reach
1 country

1 active site

Status
completed

Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.

Trial Relationships

Click on a node to explore related trials.

Study Timeline

Key milestones and dates

Study Start

First participant enrolled

February 1, 2012

Completed
22 days until next milestone

First Submitted

Initial submission to the registry

February 23, 2012

Completed
6 days until next milestone

First Posted

Study publicly available on registry

February 29, 2012

Completed
2.5 years until next milestone

Primary Completion

Last participant's last visit for primary outcome

September 1, 2014

Completed
1 year until next milestone

Study Completion

Last participant's last visit for all outcomes

September 1, 2015

Completed
1.9 years until next milestone

Results Posted

Study results publicly available

August 11, 2017

Completed
Last Updated

August 11, 2017

Status Verified

August 1, 2017

Enrollment Period

2.6 years

First QC Date

February 23, 2012

Results QC Date

July 12, 2017

Last Update Submit

August 10, 2017

Conditions

Keywords

Kidney transplantAdherenceElectronic pill bottles

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

  • Immunosuppression (Tacrolimus) Adherence

    The primary outcome will be the percentage of tacrolimus doses taken as directed during the final 90 days of this 180 day trial as measured by the GlowCap. This includes a 14 day "wash-in" period for device acclimatization.

    90 days

Study Arms (3)

Medication Dosage Reminders

EXPERIMENTAL

Subject will receive electronic pill bottle that will track adherence. They will also be able to activate available dosage reminders (text message, phone message, email).

Device: Vitality GlowCaps

Medicaiton Dosage Reminders + Coordinator Support

EXPERIMENTAL

Subject will receive electronic pill bottle that will track adherence. They will also be able to activate available dosage reminders (text message, phone message, email). The study coordinator will also check adherence every 2 weeks and alert the transplant team when it drops below 90%. The transplant team will determine the next best course of action.

Device: Vitality GlowCaps

Usual Care with GlowCap

OTHER

Subject will receive electronic pill bottle that will track adherence but all reminders will be deactivated.

Device: Vitality GlowCaps

Interventions

The main research instrument is an electronic pill bottle called GlowCaps that has the ability to transmit reminder messages via email, text, and phone to the subject, and adherence data to special servers. The messages will be sent twice a day, if a subject misses a dose of their immunosuppression medication (tacrolimus). Each time the pill bottle is opened (or not opened), a date- and time-stamped wireless signal is sent to the Vitality server via the AT\&T cellular network. No extra cellular or wireless service is required from subjects for the GlowCap to function. Note: GlowCaps are a "Class 1" Medical Device registered with the FDA. Because of this Class 1 designation, they are not subject to FDA testing or approval.

Medicaiton Dosage Reminders + Coordinator SupportMedication Dosage RemindersUsual Care with GlowCap

Eligibility Criteria

Age18 Years+
Sexall
Healthy VolunteersNo
Age GroupsAdult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

  • Adult (18 years or older) kidney or kidney-pancreas transplant recipient
  • Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (HUP) kidney transplant recipient (KTR)
  • Recruitment within 2 weeks of discharge date
  • Living within 120 miles of HUP

You may not qualify if:

  • Vulnerable populations
  • HIV seropositive status
  • Poor English communication (which might hinder necessary communication with study coordinators)
  • Discharge to care facility that handles patient medications
  • Demonstrates inability or unwillingness to manage own medications

Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.

Sponsors & Collaborators

Study Sites (1)

University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19104, United States

Location

Related Publications (1)

  • Mellon L, Doyle F, Hickey A, Ward KD, de Freitas DG, McCormick PA, O'Connell O, Conlon P. Interventions for increasing immunosuppressant medication adherence in solid organ transplant recipients. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2022 Sep 12;9(9):CD012854. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD012854.pub2.

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Medication Adherence

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Patient CompliancePatient Acceptance of Health CareTreatment Adherence and ComplianceHealth BehaviorBehavior

Limitations and Caveats

The study did not assess clinical end points. Participants and study coordinators were not blinded to intervention arm.

Results Point of Contact

Title
Dr. Peter Reese
Organization
University of Pennsylvania

Study Officials

  • Peter P Reese, MD, MSCE

    University of Pennsylvania

    PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Publication Agreements

PI is Sponsor Employee
No
Restrictive Agreement
No

Study Design

Study Type
interventional
Phase
not applicable
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Masking
SINGLE
Who Masked
INVESTIGATOR
Purpose
PREVENTION
Intervention Model
PARALLEL
Sponsor Type
OTHER
Responsible Party
SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

First Submitted

February 23, 2012

First Posted

February 29, 2012

Study Start

February 1, 2012

Primary Completion

September 1, 2014

Study Completion

September 1, 2015

Last Updated

August 11, 2017

Results First Posted

August 11, 2017

Record last verified: 2017-08

Locations