Digital Therapeutics: Pioneering the Future of Medical Innovations

Growth in the digital therapy market is a foregone conclusion. This is because patients' interest in monitoring specific biosignals such as prevention of diseases, health awareness, and lifestyle has soared due to the aging population. In March 2020, the government selected 30 promising technologies to prepare for post-COVID-19 and included digital therapies. In response, I met Jeon Hong-jin, the head of the Digital Therapy Research Center, who has established a digital treatment center at an advanced hospital and is focusing on the development and commercialization of digital therapies.

- Please introduce the Digital Therapy Research Center.

Digital therapy is likely to grow into a new medical device that leads the fourth industry. Unlike existing medical devices, this new one can innovatively help patients. Wearables, virtual reality, for example, are included here. Samsung Medical Center opened the Digital Therapy Research Center in April 2021 and it is based on the Smart Healthcare Research Center 2017. The latest research center was selected as a research-oriented hospital in the "digital therapy device and electronic medicine" field as “a new task for the 2021 research-oriented hospital development R&D support project” organized by the Ministry of Health and Welfare. The innovative center aims to develop 10 commercialized digital therapies through integrated industry-academic research within 5 years.

- What exactly are digital therapeutics?

It's a medicine, but not really a medicine. Digital therapies are software that uses digital technology and have drug-like therapeutic effects. At this, the treatments are collectively referred to as medical devices that help diagnose and treat using virtual reality (VR), artificial intelligence (AI), robots, chatbots, and wearable devices. With the recent arrival of a non-contact society due to COVID-19, it has achieved tremendous growth. In fact, Allied Market Research, a global market research company, predicted that the market size of digital therapy will reach $9.64 billion (about KRW 10.8836 trillion) in 2026. Unfortunately, however, there are no significant digital therapies in South Korea yet.

- What disease can be treated with digital therapeutics?

The biggest advantage of digital therapy is that individuals can manage diseases. Currently, most patients visit the hospital once a month. If the condition worsens sharply in the meantime, they visit the hospital sooner or later, but this gap is very large. This is where digital therapy can kick in.

Therefore, digital therapies are being actively researched in various medical fields: chronic diseases (cancer, high blood pressure, diabetes, etc.) that need behavior modifications, central nervous system disorders (dementia, Alzheimer’s, stroke, etc.) in which developing new remedy is difficult, psychological disorders (smoking, drug addiction, depression, etc.) in which psychological factors and behavior modification are significant.

- Digital Therapy Research Center signed a contract with CJ 4DPLEX and “VR-BioFeedback Motion Chair.”

Right. If there is currently a powerhouse in digital therapy, it is definitely the U.S. There has already been a journal published in the United States on the effectiveness of reducing medical costs on digital therapies. Also, the government simplified the licensing process for rapid commercialization. However, digital therapies that can lead the world have not yet emerged. Therefore, the Digital Therapy Research Center aims to develop digital treatments that will lead the world. The starting point is the 'VR-Biofeedback System' that combines VR and motion chair in 2018 to relieve depression, anxiety, and stress. But there is still a lot to improve. Currently, we continue to communicate with researchers and patients and strive to develop practical digital therapies.

- What is the biggest obstacle in developing digital therapy in the country?

The establishment of a "medical charge" is also important for commercialization, but the most important thing is communication. The development of digital therapies is a combination of engineering and medical areas. However, researchers have never experienced a patient, so they only feel vaguely what patients need at the medical site. On the other hand, medical staff is not a group of engineers, having only vague expectations about digital therapies. Therefore, even if digital therapy is developed, it is difficult to apply it directly to medical sites.

Recently, many pharmaceutical companies have been working hard to develop digital therapies, but they need to think twice with seriousness. In the past, I went to Harvard University Massachusetts General Hospital for training. Here, the focus was on “innovation”' rather than performance and the focus of innovation was on patients. Therefore, our center and developers are currently conducting periodic meetings focusing on innovation. At first, we had some trouble due to different perspectives, but now we respect each other and perceive meaningful effects.

- What do you say about the invigoration of digital therapy?

Digital therapy is at the center of attention. On the other hand, South Korea's digital therapy development infrastructure is very weak. It is expected to take some time as it is a new field of challenge. The important thing here is the “medical charge”. If digital therapies are not developed, developers (companies) will be reduced unless there is an established appropriate medical charge for the patients. Therefore, we would like the government to set the stage for industries to actively develop digital therapies.

Currently, there are many fourth industrial revolution technologies in the medical community, including the Electronic Medical Record (EMR). If it is not institutionalized, there will be a situation where imports for digital therapy are required rather than developing the treatment. As the head of the center, I will make institutional voices as much as I can to revitalize research and development.