Otsuka Pharmaceutical Europe Ltd. and Otsuka Pharmaceuticals (U.K.) Ltd. (Otsuka) are collaborating with Health Innovation Oxford & Thames Valley (Oxford HIN) to evaluate the implementation and integration of a new digital therapeutic (DTx), CARE for MDD, intended to support the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD), more commonly referred to as clinical depression, or depressive disorder.
The companies say the collaboration aims to support patients living with depressive disorder by developing solutions beyond medication, and will combine Oxford HIN’s network and expertise in mental health treatment, with Otsuka’s experience in developing therapies for patients living with mental illness.
Together, Otsuka and Oxford HIN intend to evaluate patient and healthcare practitioner feedback on real-world implementation of the DTx through a pilot that will initially run across four Primary Care sites in England. Chineham Medical Practice; Camrose, Gillies & Hackwood (CGH) Partnership; Haxby Group and St Bartholomew & Hollow Way Medical Practice will be a part of the pilot.
Insights gathered from this collaboration will inform plans for expanding access to the digital therapeutic more widely across Great Britain, accompanied by a report by Oxford HIN to help facilitate NHS adoption of this type of therapy within other sites.
CARE for MDD is a regulated medical device delivered as a smartphone app, and was co-developed by Otsuka alongside Click Therapeutics Inc. The device comprises of three key components, a novel cognitive emotional training method known as Emotional Faces Memory Task (EFMT), cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) lessons and personalised SMS notifications.
“Otsuka is committed to supporting patients living with depressive disorder and we are delighted to collaborate with Health Innovation Oxford & Thames Valley. With the World Health Organization projecting depressive disorder to become the leading cause of global disease burden by 2030, there is substantial need for new solutions and digital therapeutics are well placed to complement existing approaches to care,” said Andy Hodge, CEO, Otsuka Europe.
James Rose, Director of Strategic and Industry Partnerships, Oxford HIN, added: “Depression is a significant challenge for the NHS in England, representing a substantial portion of the overall disease burden and affecting millions. At Health Innovation Oxford and Thames Valley, our mission is to support health and social care innovation, which is critical to improving both the health outcomes and economic prosperity of the population. Collaborating with Otsuka enables us to pioneer new treatments and approaches that have the potential to improve the landscape of care for those living with depressive disorders.”
Tim Cooper, GP and Primary Care Champion, commented: “Around 1 in 4 presentations to primary care are for mental health problems, yet there remain many barriers to accessing rapid high quality mental health care. With primary care facing increasing demand it’s exciting to be part of the team exploring the potential of digital therapeutics to offer an additional support option for patients and clinicians.”
A digital therapeutic is a health software intended to treat or alleviate a disease, disorder, condition, or injury by generating and delivering a medical intervention that has a demonstrable positive therapeutic impact on a patient’s health.
Otsuka says that DTx are well-positioned to address challenges in accessing mental health care and offer healthcare professionals a supportive addition to the range of therapeutic options on offer, while providing patients with privacy and empowerment to self-manage their symptoms, and improve their quality of life.