A new European research project, CarePath, has launched to support people living with long-term health conditions in managing their treatment effectively and comfortably. By offering personalised tools and resources, the project aims to improve health, wellbeing, and overall quality of life.

Thanks to advances in healthcare, many chronic conditions can now be managed successfully with medication. However, research shows that many people find it difficult to continue their treatment over time, often due to a lack of support, social stigma, or financial pressures.

CarePath will address these challenges by developing a flexible, ready-to-use toolbox designed to help individuals manage their treatments in ways that fit their needs and lifestyles. The project will focus on three common conditions—obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease—and work across both primary care (such as GPs and community pharmacists) and secondary care (like hospitals and clinics).

A Person-Centred, People-First Approach

To ensure the tools are truly useful, the CarePath team will begin by gathering insights from patients, healthcare professionals, and other key stakeholders. They’ll also review existing strategies to understand what works best for different people in different situations.

The resulting CarePath Toolbox will include:

• Mobile applications that empower individuals to take an active role in their care and stay connected with their healthcare teams
• Simple tools to track how people are feeling and what their experiences are like (Patient-Reported Outcome Measures [PROMs] and Patient-Reported Experience Measures [PREMs])
• Short, easy-to-use questionnaires that help identify when someone might need extra support, such as for pain, fatigue, mobility, or the care they receive (for example, whether they felt listened to, supported, and informed about their treatment options)
• A combination of digital solutions and human support systems that can be tailored to different healthcare environments

Pilots Across Europe

CarePath will pilot the toolbox in six countries: Germany, Israel, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, and Sweden. These countries were chosen for their variety of healthcare systems and communities. A proof-of-concept study will also take place in Germany with people managing type 2 diabetes in outpatient clinics.

Our ultimate aim is to empower individuals to continue their treatment journey in a way that aligns with their personal needs, values and sense of wellbeing.

About CarePath

CarePath is a 5-year project funded by the Innovative Health Initiative (IHI). It brings together experts from across Europe and the USA, to co-create practical tools that help people with chronic conditions manage their treatments more effectively and comfortably.

Project facts

Project acronym: CAREPATH                  Start date: 01 May 2025                        Duration: 60 months
Budget:  19,802,965.00 Euro
Requested EU Contribution: 11,300,000.00 Euro
Coordinator: RISE Research Institutes of Sweden AB                   Project Lead: Novo Nordisk

CarePath Partners: www.ihi.europa.eu/projects-results/project-factsheets/carepath

Project Partner Quotes

“The project vision is to achieve improved medication and treatment adherence and persistence through a transformed chronic disease care ecosystem, ensuring every patient has personalised support, resulting in better health outcomes and enhanced quality of life, while also reducing healthcare costs. CarePath will have both a scientific impact, an economic impact, technological impact and a societal impact, and our aim is to pioneer a new, more integrated approach to health research and innovation, moving from disease care to an integrated health care,”, says Paul-Halle Zahl Pedersen, Senior Vice President Digital Systems RISE

“At Novo Nordisk, our purpose is to drive change to defeat serious chronic diseases. For over a century, we have pioneered innovative medicines and delivery systems to meet unmet medical needs in this space. However, we recognize that medication is just one piece of a patient’s journey, and adherence to treatment remains a significant challenge. We believe that a holistic, integrated approach is needed. Therefore, we are honored to collaborate with industry peers, research institutions, patients, clinicians, regulators, and others to develop and test innovative digital health solutions that aim to enhance medication adherence and persistence for those living with chronic conditions”, says Filip K. Knop, Senior Medical Officer of Diabetes & Obesity at Novo Nordisk

“For millions of people living with obesity, treatment is not just about taking a pill — it’s a daily, deeply human experience. True adherence means more than just following instructions. It means understanding why a treatment was chosen, knowing how it works, what to expect, and how it fits into real life. Too often, people feel invisible. Their questions go unanswered; their concerns are dismissed. But without the patient’s voice, no care plan is truly complete. We need clear, accessible information. Simple tools. Intuitive technology. And above all, the recognition that lived experience is not just personal — it has real clinical value”, says Diana Castillo, ECPO President

Funding Acknowledgement

This project is supported by the Innovative Health Initiative Joint Undertaking (IHI JU) under grant agreement No 101192133. The JU receives support from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme and COCIR, EFPIA, EuropaBio, MedTech Europe, and Vaccines Europe.

Disclaimer

Funded by the European Union, the private members, and those contributing partners of the IHI JU. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the aforementioned parties. Neither of the aforementioned parties can be held responsible for them.

For media enquiries, interviews, or further information, please contact:

European Coalition for People living with Obesity (ECPO)
Email: [email protected]
Katie Mitchell: ECPO Project Manager
Email: [email protected]

Project Coordinator: Camilla Evensson
RISE                      
Email: [email protected]