“Digital therapeutics” (DTx) isn’t just a new buzz word. This is a new category of medical interventions that are delivered directly to patients, typically in their homes, using apps running on smartphones or other digital devices. Two groups, the Digital Therapeutics Alliance (DTA) and Healthware Group, partnered recently to build a coalition to advance DTx across Europe. The coalition’s purpose is ” to discuss and develop harmonized pathways for the recognition and scalability of digital therapeutics at the local, national, and regional levels.” In other words, the coalition aims to make DTx a fundamental part of healthcare.
“Digital therapeutics kind of came out of nowhere and are rapidly becoming a Very Big Deal,” says Health Tech Insider publisher and editor-in-chief Alfred Poor. “I think it’s important that someone is taking a step back to look at them and consider the policy and standards questions,” Poor continued.
DTA launched in 2017 and the Healthware Group has developed and advocated digital health and digital therapeutics for more than a decade. As prime movers in the DTx coalition, the two organizations intend to convene thought leaders, policymakers, and professional and trade associations throughout Europe. The first in-person coalition meeting will be in October in Milan at the Frontiers Health Global Conference.
