The Journal of mHealth Vol 3 Issue 1 (Feb/Mar 2016) | Page 12

Industry News

New Digital Network for Everyone
Impacted by Chronic Urticaria
A new digital health network which aims
to bring together everyone impacted by
chronic urticaria, looks set to launch in
early 2016.
According to recent news on the Exco
InTouch website the TARGET My
Hives (www.target-community.com) project
will form a community offering support,
increasing awareness and reducing the
sense of isolation that people with the
condition often have.
Detailed in the news section of  the company's site the project is described as a
community tool that will allow patients to
learn from others like themselves how to
manage their disease, set goals for themselves and share these and their results
with each other. By motivating and supporting each other, it will help patients to
actively take control of their condition
and improve patient outcomes by integrating physicians and patient associations in the network.
Patients with chronic urticaria can suffer from sudden occurrence of red, itchy
hives (a form of rash, made of wheals
or welts) and/or angioedema (swelling in
the deeper layers of the skin). Urticaria
can be triggered by external factors (like
sunlight or water; so-called inducible
urticaria) but also occurs spontaneously,
without any identifiable triggers (spontaneous urticaria). Patients are often left
alone to cope with the condition and
eventually stop seeking help; many have
even given up on visiting their doctor.
Commenting on the new network Sam
Khalil, Global Brand Medical Director
at Novartis Pharma AG, explains: “a

recent survey found over one third of
participants with chronic urticaria were
not under a doctor’s care anymore, and
for half of them this was because they
felt their doctor was unable to help them.
We’re confident that Exco’s new program
will help to change this and ultimately
improve the lives of those living with this
condition. We’re keen to support Exco
InTouch, because we know that they
have both the experience and expertise
to deliver a highly effective and powerful tool for both patients and healthcare
professionals. We’re thrilled that Exco
InTouch has become a new partner for
patients in the area of urticaria.”
The network will allow patients to learn
from others like them how to manage
their disease, set goals for themselves
and share these and their results with
each other. By motivating and supporting each other, TARGET My Hives
helps patients to actively take control of
their condition. It also seeks to improve
patient outcomes by integrating physicians and patient associations in the
network.
Dr Marta Ferrer, Head of the Allergology Department at the Clinical Universidad de Navarra in Spain, explains:
“the most concerning issue in chronic
urticaria patien