The Personal Connected Health Alliance (PCHAlliance) and Consumer Technology Association (CTA) Health and Fitness Technology Division today announced a new, strategic collaboration around digital therapeutics – commonly defined as software that can improve a person's health as well as a drug, but without the same cost and side-effects. The collaboration aims to understand the current demand, adoption and market trends related to digital therapeutics among patients and health care professionals alongside technology and pharmaceutical companies.
The field of digital therapeutics, a subset of personal connected health, is gaining widespread attention as an alternative or enhancement of drug or in-person treatment. The combined efforts of PCHAlliance and CTA will produce recommendations supporting a multi-year, multi-stakeholder collaboration to increase awareness, evidence and adoption of proven digital therapeutics approaches.
"We are very pleased to collaborate with CTA, and engage our respective communities to help define and shape this emerging approach for treating disease through digital technologies -- as a substitute for traditional drug therapies or as a complement to enhance the effectiveness of drug therapies," said Patricia Mechael, PhD, MHS, Executive Vice President, PCHAlliance. "For example, It is exciting to see recent developments in the use of virtual reality as an alternative to pain medication, demonstrating its potential to address the opioid epidemic in the U.S. This is just the tip of the iceberg. "We will work together and engage the full ecosystem to advance the understanding and widespreadadoption of digital therapeutics while ensuring a supportive and enabling regulatory environment."
The collaboration will kick off at the PCHAlliance's Connected Health Conference, Oct. 25-27 in Boston, MA, followed by a half-day workshop, Disruptive Innovations in Healthcare Conference at CES® 2018 in Las Vegas, NV, Jan. 9-12, 2018, where the health and wellness technology presence continues to grow at an astonishing pace.
"CTA is thrilled to work with the PCHAlliance to explore digital therapeutics – an area of digital health we believe has massive potential to improve lives and lower health care costs," said Kinsey Fabrizio, senior director of member engagement, CTA. "Digital therapeutics is one of the strongest examples of technology empowering individuals to lead healthier lives, while addressing real issues like chronic disease, opioid dependence, insomnia and more. We look forward to sharing the findings of this joint project at CES 2018."
About the Personal Connected Health Alliance
The Personal Connected Health Alliance (PCHAlliance) aims to make health and wellness an effortless part of daily life. The PCHAlliance, a non-profit organization formed by HIMSS, believes that health is personal and extends beyond healthcare. PCHAlliance mobilizes a coalition of stakeholders to realize the full potential of personal connected health. Members are a vibrant ecosystem of technology and life sciences industry icons and innovative, early stage companies, governments, academic institutions, and associations from around the world. To support its vision, PCHAlliance convenes the global personal connected health community at the annual Connected Health Conference, the premier international event for the exchange of research, evidence, ideas, innovations and opportunities in personal connected health. PCHAlliance publishes and promotes adoption of the Continua Design Guidelines, recognized by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) as the international standard for safe, secure, and reliable exchange of data to and from personal health devices. PCHAlliance accelerates technical, business, policy and social strategies necessary to advance personal connected health through its Healthy Longevity initiative to promote lifelong health and wellness.
About Consumer Technology Association:
Consumer Technology Association (CTA)TM is the trade association representing the $321 billion U.S. consumer technology industry, which supports more than 15 million U.S. jobs. More than 2,200 companies – 80 percent are small businesses and startups; others are among the world's best known brands – enjoy the benefits of CTA membership including policy advocacy, market research, technical education, industry promotion, standards development and the fostering of business and strategic relationships. CTA also owns and produces CES® – the world's gathering place for all who thrive on the business of consumer technologies. Profits from CES are reinvested into CTA's industry services.
