From Prescription to Practice: Cloud Tech Transforms Drug Delivery

Connected drug delivery is improving adherence data and real-world insight, but reimbursement and system integration remain uneven across Europe

9 Dec 2025

Europe’s drug delivery sector is entering a new phase as cloud-based platforms move from pilot projects into wider commercial use, altering how medicines are monitored and evaluated across the region.

What began as incremental adoption of connected devices is now influencing routine care, particularly for patients managing chronic conditions at home. Smart inhalers and injectors linked to cloud systems are becoming more visible within Europe’s digital health landscape, even as adoption remains uneven between countries.

The shift reflects growing interest in what happens after a prescription is written. Healthcare providers and manufacturers are seeking better insight into how medicines are used in daily life, and whether patients follow prescribed regimens. Connected drug delivery offers one way to close this gap, though its role differs across Europe’s fragmented healthcare systems.

Smart devices can transmit usage data to secure cloud platforms, allowing analysis of adherence and treatment patterns. In respiratory care, commercially available smart inhalers are now used in several European markets, helping clinicians identify missed doses or poor technique earlier. Companies such as FindAir show how inhaler data can be converted into feedback for patients and providers, signalling a move away from episodic monitoring toward more continuous oversight.

Large pharmaceutical groups are also taking a closer interest. Companies including AstraZeneca have highlighted digital health tools and real-world evidence as part of their longer-term drug development and patient care strategies. This has begun to influence how delivery systems are designed, with data quality and usability gaining importance alongside clinical performance.

Cloud technology underpins much of this progress. It allows data to be gathered across large patient populations, supports post-market monitoring of devices, and enables quicker responses to safety or quality concerns. Analysts say these capabilities are becoming strategically important, even if they are not yet fully recognised within national reimbursement frameworks.

Significant barriers remain. Data privacy rules, interoperability standards and regulatory expectations vary widely across Europe. Most importantly, while connected devices and cloud platforms are available, their integration into public reimbursement systems is still limited and inconsistent.

As standards develop and more evidence is generated, cloud-enabled drug delivery is likely to play a larger role in European healthcare. The longer-term shift points toward a system in which treatment success is measured not only by what is prescribed, but by how reliably it works in everyday use.