RealHOPE: Real-World Handling of Protein Drugs

Innovative protein drugs have the capacity to cure previously uncurable diseases and save lives. But they are sensitive due to their complex structure and require careful handling to preserve the activity. During production and delivery to pharmacies, optimal conditions, such as temperature, are ensured and carefully monitored. However, research on transportation and further handling in real life are minimal. For example, not knowing how drugs react to shaky transportation or being left on a sunny garden table by patients might lead to fully functional drugs being discarded or drugs that lack in efficiency are administered to the patient. 

Within RealHOPE, we have partners from the whole value-chain: including pharmaceutical companies, logistics companies, pharmacies, and a patient organization. In combination with instrument- and app developers, and academic researchers from different fields, we will have the possibility to acquire a deep understanding of the whole life-chain of a protein drug, from production to when it reaches the patient.

About the project 

The RealHOPE project is a joint collaboration by a consortium of 26 partners consisting of pharmaceutical companies, instrument- and app developers and logistics companies together with universities, institutes, hospital pharmacies, pharmacists and a patient organization from 6 European countries and US. Budgeted with 7,1 M€ the project, coordinated by RISE Research Institutes of Sweden, with Sanofi as a tech lead, will be active until June 2025.