Tech companies unite to promote digital health uptake

Four US digital health companies have come together to promote the understanding, adoption, and integration of digital therapies into mainstream healthcare.

Founding members of the Digital Therapeutics Alliance (DTA) include Akili Interactive - creator of gamified cognitive therapies for neurological and psychological disorders; Propeller Health - provider of a line of digital monitoring technology to track patient adherence to inhaler medication; Voluntis – provider of smartphone-enabled 'companion software; and WellDoc - a chronic disease-focused mHealth company.

The umbrella term of 'digital therapeutics' refers to digital technology or software used to treat a medical condition used alone or alongside conventional medicines. They include mobile apps, wearables, and monitoring devices that inspire positive behavioural changes regarding healthcare. By 2025, the digital therapeutics market is predicted to reach around $9 billion in value.

All four companies will work together with patients, providers, payers, academia, tech firms and pharma to further real-world evidence studies and pilot programmes, develop industry and regulatory frameworks, and create robust industry databases.

"Our Alliance is dedicated to advancing novel platforms and solutions that improve patients' lives and add value to physicians, care teams, and the healthcare system," said Anand Iyer, chief strategy officer at WellDoc. "These tools are used in daily life to improve patient and provider visibility into complex treatment processes and simplify pathways to better outcomes."

With its new formation, the DTA has already struck a partnership with the Personal Connected Health Alliance (PCHAlliance) to push on with its mission.

The PCHAlliance is a non-profit organisation that boasts over 80 membership companies including the likes of Philips, Samsung, Roche, and Eli Lilly.

It promotes the global adoption of the Continua Design Guidelines – a United Nations-recognised, open framework for user-friendly, interoperable, personal connected health solutions.

"Digital therapeutics is an emerging trend, based on the idea that technology can improve an individual's health as much as a drug can, as well as increase the efficacy of drug therapies. Digital therapeutics companies are proving, via rigorous clinical studies – and even regulatory approval – that connected health technologies can provide measurable clinical benefit, at least as good as some medication," said Patty Mechael, executive vice president of the PCHAlliance.

"We are pleased to partner with the Digital Therapeutics Alliance to combine our resources to advance the field, galvanise key stakeholders, focus on developing standards of quality and work towards improving health outcomes through this newly developing sub-domain of personal connected health."