How Digital Therapeutics is Reshaping Digital Health

"With healthcare becoming digital, patients today are more empowered than ever before. In fact, many digital health platforms create greater engagement and drive actions better than many popular social media channels. Patients are taking notice and taking charge of their health thanks to digital means.

Early on, any type of digital connection to healthcare was simply known as digital health, but with greater segmentation and specialization of the technology, new areas of focus have emerged. Digital therapeutics (DTx) is one such category that focuses on evidence-based, software-driven therapeutic interventions to help patients prevent and manage a medical condition. But with a more hyper-focused attention to specific areas, is digital therapeutics creating silos in the industry or crafting more personalized entry points for patients?

Medical App or Medical Device?

Digital Therapeutics (DTx) is a subdivision of digital health, which represents a collection of technologies, products, and services across healthcare and wellness industries. It’s often defined as delivering evidence-based therapeutic interventions to patients to prevent, manage, or treat a medical disorder or disease. They can be used independently or alongside medications, devices, or other therapies to optimize patient care and health outcomes.
But for instances where a digital platform is used alongside a medication, many wonders if digital therapeutics is more medical device or medical app? Currently, the US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) considers Digital Therapeutics to be mobile medical apps and are exempt from review. It has even pushed to support innovation in the space with a plan to make digital health products more accessible to all patients. As part of this plan, the USFDA has created three categories for digital therapeutics to determine if they qualify for review..." Lire la suite