Take This App: Tech Firms Tackle Opioid Crisis With Software

Washington, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 19th May, 2019 ) :Technology firms are taking aim at the opioid crisis and related health problems with a new class of treatments -- digital therapeutics -- delivered by smartphone.

These new treatments, backed by medical research and offered by prescription, are seen as potential ways to supplement, and in some cases replace, pharmaceuticals to treat addiction and an array of other mental and physical health issues.

Smartphone technology may be well-suited to behavioral therapy for addiction, depression and other disorders by making treatment more accessible and trackable by medical professionals, researchers say.

"Digital therapeutics are validated scientific treatments delivered in the form of software, which can increase access and provide an immediacy," said Yuri Maricich, head of the clinical and regulatory team at Pear Therapeutics.

The company has received approval in the United States for apps to treat opioid addiction and other kinds of substance abuse.

"It's the same level of rigor (as pharmaceuticals) in terms of how the products are manufactured. We've run randomized clinic trials to make sure it produces the desired outcome and that it is safe," Maricich said.

In January, Pear launched in coordination with Novartis unit Sandoz the reSET-O prescription digital therapeutic 12-week cognitive behavioral therapy to treat opioid addiction after receiving approval by the US food and Drug Administration.

It is offered with the commonly used medication buprenorphine for adults under the care of a therapist.

The app includes a dashboard that allows medical teams to monitor a patient's progress and offer reminders and training. The patient follows on-screen prompts by answering quiz questions, reporting medication usage and reporting substance use, cravings and triggers.