Health Tech Against COVID-19 & More News

Health Tech Responds to COVID-19

Catalyst @ Health 2.0 has created an inventory of information on 140+ innovators and their active efforts to support the response to COVID-19. Through this new initiative, Health Tech Responds to COVID-19, Catalyst is committed to informing the public with thoughtful, curated content on digital health innovations tackling COVID-19. The website also features interviews and blog posts that capture the expert insights from leaders in the health care, information technology, and digital health space. 
 
If your company is working to respond to the COVID-19 outbreak, or you have expert insights regarding the pandemic, we want to hear from you! Respond HERE. 

Apple Launches Screening and Resources Tool for COVID-19

Apple has announced the launch of a COVID-19 website and corresponding app. The tech giant is collaborating with the CDC, White House Coronavirus Task Force, and FEMA on the new screening and informational platform. Users are directed to next steps after answering questions designed to assess symptoms, risk, and exposure. Users can also tap into resources like Siri to ask questions regarding coronavirus symptoms, view resources from the CDC, and access directions to telehealth apps. As coronavirus cases top 700,000 worldwide, organizations like Apple are mobilizing to offer help at point-of-care. 

FDA Gives Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) to Malaria Drugs for COVID-19

Despite current limited evidence to support their efficacy, the FDA has granted an emergency use authorization (EUA) for two oral formulations of closely related malaria drugs to treat COVID-19. The EUA includes restrictions regarding prescription requirements and the governing bodies in charge of issuing the drug supply. The agency issued the EUA to facilitate the drugs’ availability for patients for whom clinical trials are unavailable or for whom participation is not feasible.

AI, DTx at the Forefront in 2020 & More News

Digital Health Experts Needed for International Forum

The IDIH Project (International Digital Health Cooperation for Preventive, Integrated, Independent and Inclusive Living) is seeking digital health experts who are interested in collaborating on a sustainable platform for international cooperation in digital health. IDIH is a project funded under the European Union Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme, bringing together prominent organizations from EU and five Strategic Partner Countries (Canada, China, Japan, South Korea and the USA) to promote and increase international collaboration, advance digital health, and support active and healthy aging through innovation. 

IDIH is looking for individuals whose expertise is in alignment with the following focus areas: preventative care, integrated care, independent and connected living, and inclusive living. 

If you would like to be a part of our expert driven Digital Health Transformation Forum, please send your CV with a short explanation on why you are interested in becoming an Expert Group member or Chair to experts@idih-global.eu by January 31st, 2020. 

Act fast—experts are chosen on a rolling basis!

Digital Therapeutics Expected to Advance Despite Recent Losses 

Despite the recent string of failed collaborations between digital therapeutics (DTx) and pharmaceutical companies, the DTx sector is predicted to grow in the coming year. Richard Close, an analyst at Canaccord Genuity, suggests that key players in the health care arena are attuned to the benefits of DTx solutions for treating patients. One such player is Express Scripts, the largest independent manager of pharmacy benefits in the U.S., whose formulary highlights vetted DTx offerings from companies like Livongo, WellDoc, SilverCloud Health, and Learn to Live. Though consumers are still waiting for clinical validation of DTx through the pharma partnerships, both DTx developers and key care management stakeholders remain optimistic about the value of DTx for clinical uses. 

“Re-Humanization” of Medicine through AI

A report from the social-listening platform Digimind reveals that adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) will continue to be a priority for health care and technology sectors in 2020. The boom of value-based care and patient centric models of operation showcase a desire to “re-humanize” medicine—allowing practitioners to spend more time with the patient and less with paperwork. In recent years, the development of AI and ML has been focused on their ability to make accurate interpretations of diagnostic screenings and to extract key data from patient records. The digital health space can expect to see further development of AI’s medical sensitivity and accuracy to maximize output at the lowest cost. 

Proteus Digital Health's Uncertain Future & More News

Proteus Digital Health’s Uncertain Future in Digital Therapeutics

Proteus Digital Health, a promising digital therapeutics (DTx) company targeting prescription adherence, was once valued at $1.5B. Now, the company faces an uncertain future as it failed to close a $100mm funding round. The company's renowned product, “smart pills,” pairs digestible pills with a smartphone app that alerts patients to take their medication. In 2017, Proteus landed a partnership with Otsuka to develop a digital medicine system named Abilify MyCite to target mental health disorders. The landmark product gained FDA clearance the same year. Despite the excitement over the digital pill, Proteus struggled with patient adoption and has limited data to corroborate the solution’s efficacy—prompting funding partners and potential investors to drop out. Such a downturn has become common for DTx companies, who have been struggling with clinical adoption and may be at risk of losing crucial funding. 

Telehealth Expansion to Close Crucial Health Care Gap

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced plans to allocate nearly half of its $42.5mm in grant funding toward the development and expansion of telehealth services for rural Americans. This endeavor is the latest federally-funded push to utilize digital health services to improve rural health care.The grants will cover various areas of focus including: providing quality telehealth services to rural populations, expediting the delivery of opioid treatment, increasing access to behavioral health services, and installing telemedicine equipment across various primary care offices and hospitals. Other federal entities like the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) are also targeting rural Americans and will allocate upwards of $90mm toward a pilot program to incentivize providers to develop broadband-based telehealth programs. 

VA Optimizing Health Outcomes Through AI

The US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced the launch of the National Artificial Intelligence Institute, which aims to improve health outcomes for veterans through research and development of advanced AI and machine learning technologies. The VA is currently utilizing AI to better inform treatment decisions, identify at-risk or high risk patients, and improve clinicians' ability to interpret lab results. From the development of telehealth pods that serve veterans in remote areas to partnering with Verizon to maximize telehealth services, the launch of the institute is the agency's most recent effort in addressing veterans' unmet needs through health innovation. 

IBM Watson Health and Leading Hospitals Invest $50M to Accelerate AI Development

While artificial intelligence is a buzzword within the healthcare industry, there is a lack of real-world solutions aimed at ameliorating major public health issues. To spur the advancement of AI technology for the healthcare industry, IBM Watson Health has announced a 10-year, $50M investment in research collaborations with Brigham and Women’s Hospital, the teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School, and Vanderbilt University Medical Center. 

A key area of focus will be studying how AI can utilize electronic health records and claims data to address public health issues such as precision medicine, health equity, and patient safety. Additional research will be conducted to explore the physician and patient user experience with AI technologies. The collaboration will combine IBM Watson’s expertise in artificial intelligence with the “best health informatics researchers in the world,” in hopes of accelerating the development of real-world AI-solutions “to improve the utility of the EHR and claims data to address major public health issues.”