GSK's Patient Rheumatoid Arthritis Data from the Real World (PARADE) study is the first of its kind and is the first time a major pharmaceutical (or big pharma) company has embarked on such a project. PARADE is designed to look at the impact of rheumatoid arthritis on a patient's life, by using iPhone sensors to collect information on joint pain, fatigue and overall mood. GSK will track the activity and "quality of life measures" for 300 patients over a three-month period.

Although GSK uses over 40 different technologies to collect health data, ResearchKit allows doctors, scientists and researchers to collect data more regularly and accurately from patients via their iPhone. It's not testing a new treatment yet, but the company intends to use the data it collects to "develop medicines more effectively."