Apple Rejecting New Apps with Drug Dosages

This article published with permission from iMedicalApps.com.

In lieu of the FDA’s recent inquiry into the uCheck urine analyzer app, it appears Apple might be tightening restrictions on medical app developers.

It appears that a number of developers have struggled recently to get medical applications into the App Store with the reason below being cited. Below is the response developers have told iMedicalApps:

One developer noted that they have now had multiple apps rejected from the App Store and as a result have decided to stop developing for the iOS platform and are going to instead concentrate on the Android platform.

This has many implications for health care professionals and patients alike.

• The ability to look up a drug dosage on a mobile device is one of the main reasons health care professionals use a mobile device. At this point, it’s unclear if apps like Epocrates or Medscape are free from the Section 1.2 rule since they could argue they are using dosage information from the medicine’s manufacturer. But how does Apple confirm the dosages are correct?

• Many medical textbook apps contain information related to dosing. Does this mean Apple will reject a textbook app if one part of it contains any drug information?

• Only allowing applications that have been developed by pharmaceutical companies opens up the potential for biased medical information and targeted advertising

• What happens to medications that are off brand, do we need hundreds of different applications to tell us how to prescribe tylenol?

Read more.

Tom Lewis is a co-author on this piece.