Digital therapeutics (DTx) refers to devices and software that use evidence and clinical evaluations to prevent, manage, and treat various disorders and diseases, including diabetes, pain, asthma, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

The field of DTx has been steadily growing over the last 10 years. The recent COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the use of DTx among patients and healthcare providers who have increasingly become comfortable turning to digital technologies to manage care and treatment.

The Growth of Digital Therapeutics

The latest estimates show that the DTx market will grow to $5.51 billion in 2022, up from $4.39 billion in 2021. This represents a compound annual growth rate of 25.6%.  By 2026, the market is anticipated to grow to $13.27 billion, representing a compound annual growth rate of 2.6%.

While there are various products included in the overall category of digital therapeutics, software and devices represent the most common product types.

Some examples include sensors that can track medication usage and apps designed to manage diabetes symptoms when connected to devices like blood glucose meters and insulin pumps.

The rise in interest and use of digital platforms for healthcare during the pandemic has accelerated the digital therapeutics market. However, it is crucial to recognize that DTx is not the same as digital health or digital medicine. Instead, DTx is one aspect of overall digital health that has the goal of either preventing, managing, or treating a specific disease or medical condition.

Advancement of Digital Therapeutics for Neurodegenerative Disease

One particular area of focus to pay attention to in 2022 and beyond is the use of digital therapeutics to treat neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s disease. Digital therapies have shown promising results for slowing down dementia-related cognitive decline.

What’s particularly exciting about the advancement of DTx to treat Alzheimer’s, dementia, and other neurodegenerative diseases is that it might be able to modify the disease itself rather than just treat symptoms.

By modifying the disease, researchers at various companies hope to be able to alter cognitive function in people who have early-onset Alzheimer’s. By addressing the disease early, it is possible to reverse or slow down its progression.

Because digital therapies are non-invasive and do not interact with other drugs, patients can use them alongside other treatment forms.

In addition, making digital therapies available via a downloadable app can make it easier to conduct clinical trials while the patient remains safely in their home. The clinical team can keep performing assessments and monitoring virtually to track a patient’s progress and gain valuable insights for future DTx iterations.

Takeaway

It is possible that DTx could replace the medication for some patients in the future. For instance, alternative digital therapies could include replacing drugs to manage disorders such as insomnia or depression with sensory stimuli via a mobile device.

For now, though, digital therapeutics are used as a supplement to traditional forms of medicine. The next few years will be an exciting time for DTx as we learn more about how digital technologies can improve patient outcomes for a range of disorders.

References
2021 Global Life Sciences Outlook – Deloitte. Deloitte. (2021). Retrieved May 24, 2022, from https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/ch/Documents/life-sciences-health-care/deloitte-ch-life-sciences-sector-outlook-2021.pdf

Dang, A., Arora, D., & Rane, P. (2020, May 31). Role of Digital Therapeutics and the changing future of Healthcare. Journal of family medicine and primary care. Retrieved May 24, 2022, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7380804/

Dang, A., Dang, D., & Rane, P. (2021). The expanding role of Digital Therapeutics in the post-covid-19 era. The Open COVID Journal. Retrieved May 24, 2022, from https://opencovidjournal.com/VOLUME/1/PAGE/32/FULLTEXT/

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Shuren, J., & Doraiswamy, P. M. (2022, March 11). Digital Therapeutics for MCI and alzheimer’s disease: A regulatory perspective – highlights from the clinical trials on alzheimer’s disease conference (CTAD) – The Journal of Prevention of Alzheimer’s disease. SpringerLink. Retrieved May 24, 2022, from https://link.springer.com/article/10.14283/jpad.2022.28

Vaidya, A. (2022, February 4). How digital therapeutics will evolve in 2022 and beyond. mHealthIntelligence. Retrieved May 24, 2022, from https://mhealthintelligence.com/features/how-digital-therapeutics-will-evolve-in-2022-and-beyond