SAN FRANCISCO — Pharmacies will be able to send patients digital coupons and messages at key points in their treatment through a partnership between mobile pharmacy provider mscripts and McKesson Patient Relationship Solutions (MPRS).

Mscripts said Monday that the new solution, which provides the content via two-way text or a mobile app, differs from current in-market, mobile coupon messaging that’s delivered directly from the pharmaceutical manufacturer. The goal is to improve patient engagement and medication adherence by the timely delivery of drug cost savings and personalized adherence support.

The solution, slated to be launched in March, will connect mscripts’ network of more than 6,000 pharmacies with MPRS’ savings and adherence programs, which supports more than 500 branded medications.

“The partnership delivers valuable co-pay savings directly to a patient’s mobile phone exactly when they need them, whether it’s a prescription ready for refill or pickup. The coupons are easy to view and redeem, saving both the pharmacy and the patient time,” mscripts chief executive officer Mark Cullen explained. “We’re thrilled to partner with MPRS to help our pharmacies extend cost savings to their patients and enable more people to better afford their medication.”

With real-time prescription data and extensive analytics from mscripts and MPRS, brand teams and pharmacies will be able to send important information to patients at the most critical points in therapy, the companies noted. Mscripts reported that its targeted, timely messages sent on behalf of the patient’s pharmacy drive patient adherence gains of up to 2.9x over patients who do not receive mobile outreach. Also, mscripts’ digitally delivered coupons receive click-through rates of up to 35%, driving additional adherence and patient savings.

A study published in the February issue of JAMA Internal Medicine validates the use of text messaging as a way to spur adherence, finding that patients with chronic diseases who got text messages were more likely to stick to their medication regimen. The meta-analysis of 16 clinical trials showed that general text messages doubled the likelihood of adherence over a median time frame of three months, mscripts reported.

“At MPRS, we’re focused on building integrated adherence solutions that address key touch points throughout the patient experience. Mobile and pharmacy are channels critical to advancing that strategy,” stated Derek Rago, vice president and general manager for MPRS. “Our partnership with mscripts is particularly exciting because it fully leverages the power of mobile while actively strengthening the pharmacist-patient relationship. The result is brand teams are now able to deliver cost savings for medications — directly to a preferred engagement medium, the patient’s mobile phone — securely and in real time from a key, trusted health care provider, their pharmacist.”