It lies within the compact folded rectangle that accompanies prescription medicines. In black and white on paper, it follows prescription medicine advertisements in magazines and newspapers. Known as patient information, it is frequently part of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved labeling for prescription medicines.

For many, it can be an important everyday resource to learn what they need to know about the medication they are taking—what it does, how to take it, possible drug interactions, serious side effects and symptoms that might be signs of a side effect.

To enhance patients' access to and use of this information, Janssen Therapeutics, Div. of Janssen Products LP, has launched a pilot program—and a first for the Johnson & Johnson family of companies—designed to transform the experience of exploring this information online through digital storytelling and animation.

This new tool, for the prescription medicine Prezista (darunavir), is called The Prezista Zone and can be found at www.prezistazone.com. It enables users to read, listen to and interact with information about the product.

Features include:

A selection of eight animated hosts who serve as site guides and narrate the Patient Information. 

The story of Jacob, a man who has just been diagnosed with a chronic disease, told through a series of seven animated clips that help illustrate sections of the Patient Information. 

In the first episode, Jacob attends a disease support group session and learns how Prezista works. 

In subsequent clips, he visits his physician to learn about medicines that should not be taken with Prezista, and visits his pharmacist who reviews the possible side effects of the medicine.

Janssen Pharma interactive patient info

"As a physician, I know from experience that people tend to learn in different ways, and that can pose different kinds of challenges for patients trying to educate themselves about their medications," says Bryan Baugh, MD, medical director at Janssen Therapeutics. "We designed The Prezista Zone to meet a variety of personal preferences for learning and interacting with online information. We're very excited to introduce this pilot program; it hasn't been done before for products like Prezista."

In a recent omnibus survey of 1,047 people, which was sponsored by Janssen Therapeutics, 60 percent of those surveyed agreed it would be helpful to review Patient Information in an animated version that can be viewed and listened to online.*

"When you have a chronic illness, starting treatment for the first time or switching your medication can sometimes be overwhelming," says Jeff Berry, director of publications, Test Positive Aware Network (TPAN) in Chicago (and a paid consultant for Janssen Therepeutics). "This interactive version of Patient Information is an innovative approach to helping people learn about their medicines based on information from the FDA-approved patient labeling. I hope this initiative will encourage the development of other educational tools that go beyond the printed page."

* This Janssen Therapeutics study was conducted by StrategyOne using Toluna field services, among 1,047 U.S. residents. The survey was fielded Apr. 9-11, 2012, and the data were weighted to be representative to U.S. Census. These data have a margin of error +-3.03% at the 95% confidence interval.

Source: Janssen Therapeutics

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