Novartis is opening a new digital health innovation hub in Canada to help develop “scalable, digital solutions” for patients and healthcare providers. The Canadian Biome Digital Innovation Hub will be based in Montreal at the artificial intelligence research institute, Mila. The institute formed a strategic… Read More »Novartis launches digital health hub in Canada
Akili has new data from its childhood hyperactivity therapeutic video game EndeavorRx, as the company builds a case for the technology with longer-term trial data. The company announced several new data readouts, including outcomes data from the STARS-Adjunct trial, a multi-site open-label study testing EndeavorRx… Read More »Akili presents new real-world data from therapeutic ADHD video game
Scientists say on-skin printing could be used to create on-body sensors to monitor physiological signals and devices to wirelessly transmit the data. A team led by Huanyu Cheng from Penn State University, say the sensors are capable of precisely and continuously capturing temperature, humidity, blood… Read More »On-skin printing of sensors could monitor COVID-19 symptoms
Huge demand for ventilators and patient monitors spurred third quarter sales for Royal Philips, the company announced. The Dutch health technology group reported sales of €4.98bn, a 10% year-over-year growth. The connected care business, which includes patient monitors and ventilators saw the biggest rise, increasing… Read More »COVID-19 ventilator demand fuels Philips Q3 sales
As part of our series of opinion pieces from leaders at Janssen, the company’s Maria Raad looks at how we can embrace tech and data science to overcome increasing pressures on healthcare systems. For the next generation born in the western world, living to be… Read More »How real human experiences can power a healthier future
Regular fliers are used to long queues to clear security – but a rigorous COVID-19 testing regime could be added to pre-flight checks backed by a digital “health passport” to prove passengers are free from the coronavirus. The UK is the latest country to test… Read More »UK trials digital ‘health passport’ to help borders reopen
In the age of artificial intelligence, no trial data should be going to waste. Findacure’s Rick Thompson looks at how these technologies could bring us closer to treatments for underserved rare diseases. The repurposing of drugs is becoming more common, especially in the field of… Read More »Rare diseases, repurposing and the role of AI
Patients with heart failure often have a dismal prognosis as the condition usually worsens over time, but a new study aims to see if digital health technologies can improve their prospects. The trial – run by Boehringer Ingelheim and Yale University – will test a… Read More »Boehringer, Yale trial digital tech in heart failure
Astellas Pharma is to buy bioelectronic medical devices firm iota Biosciences in a deal worth up to $429m, building on a previous research partnership. In August last year the companies began a joint research and development agreement based around iota’s bioelectronic devices in several indications.… Read More »Astellas doubles down on partnership and buys bioelectronics firm iota
The boom in digital tech over COVID means that pharma can move faster than ever – but the industry’s traditional processes for asset approval are still holding timelines back. David Reily examines how pharma companies are responding to the increased burden of asset approval with… Read More »Accelerating the digital approval process
US startup Blue Oak Pharma has joined a lengthening list of companies turning to Exscientia of the UK for its expertise in applying artificial intelligence to drug discovery. Waltham, Massachusetts-based Blue Oak – led by neurobiologist and former Eli Lilly and Sunovion executive Tom Large… Read More »Blue Oak taps AI specialist Exscientia for CNS drug discovery
Equity investor Gresham House has invested £5m into the NHS’s digital triage provider eConsult Health, allowing the service to expand to meet demand during the COVID-19 pandemic. eConsult provides online consultation services to NHS primary care organisations and will use the investment to maintain its… Read More »NHS digital triage provider to expand with £5m investment
Relationships are built over time. However, with the inability to meet face-to-face, many life sciences commercial teams are left wondering what to do next. Unfortunately, we have been truly disrupted – not only in our work environment, but in what our customers, healthcare providers (HCPs)… Read More »Breaking through the Digital Noise: Creating HCP Content that Stands Out
A few months into the pandemic, the world is now moving beyond managing the crisis, with more focus on addressing the collateral damages and shaping the future. As part of a new series looking at how pharma has responded to the pandemic, Neale Belson, SVP… Read More »Pharma’s response to COVID: GSK
UK-based RHYTHM AI is to go ahead with a larger clinical trial of its artificial intelligence (AI)-driven system, which could be used as a treatment for atrial fibrillation without the need for medication. Antiarrhythmic drugs are standard therapy but they often only work for around… Read More »RHYTHM AI cleared for large trial of atrial fibrillation mapping tool
Japan’s Toppan Printing and MIT spin-off FIGUR8 have announced results of a pilot scheme testing a remote physical training guidance scheme that uses musculoskeletal sensors to collect data on movement. The companies have been collaborating since February this year on services that use data on… Read More »Toppan and FIGUR8 press on with remote physical training guidance pilot
Japan’s Toppan Printing and MIT spin-off FIGUR8 have announced results of a pilot scheme testing a remote physical training guidance scheme that uses musculoskeletal sensors to collect data on movement. The companies have been collaborating since February this year on services that use data on… Read More »Toppan and FIGUR8 press on with remote physical training guidance pilot
OPEN Health’s Beth Lesher and Annemarie Clegg examine what the convergence of medical communications and market access means for pharmaceutical companies. Value in healthcare is a continually changing concept. As the needs of different stakeholders evolve and gain in prominence, pharmaceutical companies must be prepared… Read More »Responding to dynamic shifts in value communications
Better management of customer data could help pharmaceutical companies’ digital transformation, according to Veeva’s Rebecca Silver. pharmaphorum’s Richard Staines spoke to her about how the use of customer reference data can transform pharma companies, increase competitiveness, and benefit the bottom line during these challenging times.… Read More »Pharma’s digital transformation journey and the role of customer reference data
An Excel spreadsheet was behind IT glitch that caused thousands of positive COVID-19 tests to be omitted from the UK’s official records, according to press reports. The issue that left almost 16,000 positive results going unreported has been blamed on the way Public Health England… Read More »Excel spreadsheet blamed for UK’s COVID-19 test and trace woes
There are a host of new, previously unimaginable tools and techniques – from analytics to robotic process automation (RPA) and artificial intelligence (AI) – available to help speed up processes and increase data accuracy. But for many life sciences organisations, these tools are either not… Read More »Why intelligent automation is the future for regulation
Better patient care pathways and models of care can be leveraged from the use of data, and the ability to collate and assess this information will drive more sustainable models of care, whilst unlocking the value of ‘longitudinal, real-world data’ as a resource for healthcare… Read More »The value of good data to patients
Digital health firm Your.MD has secured $30 million in a Series A round investment led by the consumer health giant Reckitt Benckiser (RB). Your.MD is the company behind the medical-grade, augmented intelligence self-care app Healthily, and will use the funding to accelerate the platform through… Read More »Your.MD secures $30m to expand self-care app Healthily
Patient simulations have been a key tool for educating physicians in some form for hundreds of years – and now cutting-edge technologies are helping them become more realistic and informative than ever. Medscape’s Martin Warters tells us more. Learning from a textbook can only take… Read More »The tools and techniques making virtual patient simulations more realistic than ever
Sweden’s Orexo says its opioid use disorder (OUD) digital therapeutic – now christened Modia – is on course for a launch before the end of the year in the US. Like its earlier digital therapies for alcohol misuse and depression, Modia’s earlier-than-expected rollout stems from… Read More »Orexo eyes opioid use disorder app launch before year-end
In a world producing more content than ever before, getting information to time-poor HCPs can be incredibly difficult – even if they want to find it. Ian Daley and Jonathan Macdonald from EPG Health tell us how pharma can take cues from digital publishing and… Read More »Cutting through the noise for HCPs
Swiss medical data specialist Sophia Genetics has raised $110 million in an oversubscribed funding round that will be used to boost its headcount and international presence and prepare to take its shares public. Proceeds from the sixth-round of private fundraising will fund the growth in… Read More »$110m financing sets up US, Asia expansion for Sophia Genetics
Amazon has launched a fitness band, app and subscription service – called Halo – that promises to look after both your body and mind. The e-commerce giant’s entry into the health wearables market combines monitoring of physical data such as activity levels, sleep patterns and… Read More »Amazon enters health wearables market with Halo service
The world is awash with data, and while retailers and TV subscription services have perfected the art of collection and curation, public health has been trailing behind. But the advent of COVID-19 is proving to be something of a coming of age for digital epidemiology,… Read More »Predicting pandemics with unconventional digital tools
The ongoing digital transformation of the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries has been greatly accelerated during the coronavirus pandemic. In The Medscape Professional Networks’ latest white paper, Healthcare’s New Normal: COVID Speeds Shift to Digital Communications, key opinion leaders and industry experts agree that in the… Read More »COVID-19’s lasting impact on digital communication in healthcare
Digital health startup Lyra Health has raised $110 million in fourth-round financing, raising its value above the $1 billion threshold for the first time since it was founded five years ago. California-based Lyra provides mental health care services that employers can include in health care… Read More »Digital health firm Lyra enters unicorn territory after fundraising
Health insurer Humana has filed a lawsuit against telemedicine company QuivvyTech that it says resulted in fraudulent prescriptions worth millions of dollars being written for duped customers. According to the complaint, QuivvyTech hired telemarketers to cold-call Humana members, whose details were obtained using “illegal means,”… Read More »Humana lawsuit exposes fraud risk in high-growth telehealth market
It’s all go in the US telehealth sector, with Alphabet’s Google investing $100 million in Amwell on the same day the Boston-based firm unveiled plans for an initial public offering (IPO). Google has also agreed a partnership with Amwell that makes the telehealth company its… Read More »Google pumps $100m into Amwell as telehealth firm eyes IPO
Bayer has taken a further stake in New York-based One Drop to support its plans to become a digital health business by developing new integrated care services for patients. The German pharmaceutical company will work with One Drop on digital health products that span multiple… Read More »Bayer strikes $98m deal with digital health firm One Drop
A smartphone-based app that uses facial analysis technology to spot chronic pain in people with dementia, called PainChek, is being rolled out in the UK by its Australian developer. The artificial intelligence-powered tool can help care workers and clinicians to identify and manage pain in… Read More »Pain-detecting tool for dementia patients rolls out in UK
An app developed by Kaia Health to help people suffering from back pain who may not want to take painkillers has shown its worth again in a study conducted with a health benefit plan in the US. The pilot study of the app – which… Read More »Pilot study backs Kaia Health app for back pain relief
David Keene looks at the difficulties faced in treating mental health patients and how digital technologies are changing the game. In 1919 a young Dwight Eisenhower participated in a cross-country road trip to deliver tanks from Fort Meade in Maryland to San Francisco. Most of… Read More »Why the next blockbuster in mental health might be a video game
UK digital health company Sensyne Health has launched a new smartphone app to help people across the diabetes spectrum manage their condition. The app – called DBm-Health – can help users to monitor their blood glucose levels and send readings, notes and medication information to… Read More »Sensyne Health launches diabetes app in the UK
Achieving Standardization & Operational Excellence in Vein-to-Vein Supply As an increasing number of candidates enter the clinic and promise to be a mainstay in the future of cancer treatment, cell therapies pose unique supply chain challenges. From temperature and time sensitivity, to patient-facing delivery and… Read More »Patient-to-Patient Supply for Cell Immunotherapies Summit
Harnessing the Potential of Macrophage Therapies Using Small Molecule, Antibody & Cell Therapy based Approaches for Oncology and Beyond The $4.9 billion acquisition of Forty Seven by Gilead is an example of the explosive excitement and investment into macrophage-directed therapies, utilizing CD47 checkpoint blockades, repolarization… Read More »2nd Macrophage-directed Therapies Summit
Three UK companies have combined their digital health technologies into a single remote consultation service for GP surgeries combining triage, video calls, patient messaging and treatment information. The platform combines eConsult’s digital triage tool – which was added to the NHS app a few weeks… Read More »Healthcare tech firms team up on consultation tools for GPs
The UK government has said it is vital to adopt telemedicine across the NHS in response to COVID-19 – but is the health service ready to fully embrace this digital tech? Dom Tyer investigates. The rapid digitalisation of life during COVID-19’s acute phase has had… Read More »NHS’ telemedicine ambitions approach a pivotal point
When digital health giants Teladoc and Livongo announced their $18.5 billion merger, shares in both companies fell sharply as investors tried to work out the rationale for the deal. Now the dust has settled, they seem to be warming to it. The cash and stock… Read More »Is Livongo-Teladoc merger a ‘leap forward’ for digital health?
The financial world, like the pharmaceutical industry, must operate within a tightly-defined regulatory environment, and in doing so has proved adept at connecting with its customers. No one industry is ever quite like another, but there are some valuable lessons for pharma marketing from examining… Read More »What can pharma marketing learn from other regulated industries?
The UK-based AI technology company Healx has begun a partnership with the Foundation for Angelman Syndrome Therapeutics (FAST), focusing on developing new therapies for the rare neurogenetic disorder. The latest project will focus on quickly identifying and progressing novel treatments for Angelman syndrome, which is… Read More »Healx uses AI to find drugs for Angelman Syndrome
Catch up on the latest coronavirus vaccine and digital tech news in our roundup of this week’s biggest stories. Consumer advocacy group Public Citizen has slammed the amount Moderna is charging the US for the mRNA-1273 vaccine, saying that as taxpayer money had funded 100%… Read More »Coronavirus pharma news roundup – 14/08/20
After ditching its home-grown attempt at a coronavirus contact-tracing app for smartphones, the UK is ready to start pilot trials of a second version based on a platform developed by Apple and Google. The new NHS Test and Trace app is intended to be used… Read More »UK’s second go at a contact tracing app heads for pilot study
A new digital therapy is aiming to tackle depression during the COVID-19 pandemic, using a brain stimulation headset and therapy app that claims to have similar beneficial effects to drugs but with fewer side-effects. Flow is the first drug-free at-home treatment of its type to… Read More »Digital depression therapy offers hope during COVID-19 pandemic
A fellowship programme is looking for digital pioneers to design and lead service transformation projects in England’s NHS as the COVID-19 pandemic continues. DigitalHealth.London opens applications to its Digital Pioneer Fellowship programme, supporting change makers employed by NHS organisations in London to design and lead… Read More »NHS looks for digital pioneers to reshape services during pandemic
In our latest UK Leaders article Pinder Sahota, UK general manager at Novo Nordisk, tells us how he hopes to bring the NHS and pharma together to improve outcomes in diabetes and other long-term conditions. Though Novo Nordisk is perhaps not as much of a… Read More »Novo Nordisk: Prevention, digital tools and collaboration to define the future of diabetes
Drugmakers have been working with data specialist Certara on a new tool that they hope could speed up the development of vaccines for COVID-19. The new “biosimulation” tool is designed to make it easier for vaccine candidates across multiple patient populations through the use of… Read More »Certara adds to its COVID-19 toolkit with virtual trials module
Swiss medical data specialist Sophia Genetics has launched a platform that will sift through data generated at more than 1,000 hospitals around the world to try to work out how the COVID-19 pandemic will evolve in the coming months and years. The data mining tool… Read More »Sophia Genetics launches AI tool to find COVID-19 ‘unknowns’
Pharma’s reputation has soared due to the COVID-19 pandemic – but coronavirus is starting to bite companies’ sales. Find out more in our roundup of the biggest R&D, market access and digital stories from the past week. The perception of pharma and medical companies has… Read More »Coronavirus pharma news roundup – 07/08/20
Health technology firms Cerner and LRVHealth have invested $6 million in Xealth to scale up its business offering digital health tools to patients and clinicians. The companies said the new relationship aims to give patients control over their own digital data so they can be… Read More »Cerner and LRVHealth invest $6m in digital health firm Xealth
Bringing clinical trials to patients – rather than the reverse – could be the key to improving recruitment into studies and making them faster, cheaper and more likely to succeed, according to one clinical research organisation (CRO). There’s already plenty of support from regulators for… Read More »Decentralised trials – aided by tech – could boost clinical research
The UK digital mental health support platform Kooth has joined with five of the UK’s well known Instagram influencers to launch a campaign to help students deal with the pressures of exam results season. The campaign encourages the hundreds of thousands of students waiting to… Read More »Mental health platform helps students facing exam results during pandemic
VivoPlex, a UK based firm specialising in fertility and women’s health, has raised £3.9m to develop an intra-uterine sensor system and generate clinical data that could be used for European approval. Oxford-based VivoPlex raised the funds in two tranches, which will be used to complete… Read More »VivoPlex raises funding to develop intra-uterine sensor
There’s a new kid on the block in digital health – called HealthHero – with aspirations to become the biggest company in the European market. The new company officially comes into being today with the acquisition of Berlin-based telemedicine company Fernarzt, which was set up… Read More »New digital health player HealthHero launches with Fernarzt buy
Vaccines, AI-driven drug discovery and llamas all hit the headlines this week as the search for a way to end the COVID-19 pandemic continues. Here we highlight the biggest R&D, market access and digital coronavirus news of the past week. Roche’s anti-inflammatory drug Actemra has… Read More »Coronavirus pharma news roundup – 31/07/20
NHSX, the government agency tasked with digitally transforming the UK’s health service, has launched a service to help hospitals and clinics select pre-approved products to replace pagers. The Clinical Communications Procurement Framework is designed to support organisations to adopt new services as part of health… Read More »NHSX launches procurement tool as pager phase-out begins in earnest
From this summer’s vantage point 2019 seems like it was at least a decade ago, such is the trainwreck that is 2020. But for pharma’s digital transformation, these last few months could well have amounted to 10 years’ worth of progress. Pharmaceutical sales, marketing, and… Read More »The acceleration of pharma’s digital transformation
Medical device company Indigo Diabetes has raised 38 million euros to develop an “invisible” sensor for people with diabetes, which could provide an alternative to the “patch” based monitors currently on the market. The new investment round will enable Indigo to prepare and start up the… Read More »Indigo raises 38 million euros for ‘invisible’ diabetes glucose sensor
Shots: The companies expanded the collaboration to support the needs of patients with kidney disease via digital health solutions. The agreement integrates Ayogo’s LifePlan digital platform with Baxter’s expertise in renal care to develop mobile apps and digital solutions that bring personalized and timely support… Read More »Baxter and Ayogo Expand their Partnership to Advance Digital Health Solution for Home Dialysis
The UK government is providing funding to bring a software tool used to monitor patients during surgery to market “as soon as possible”, says its developer. Directed Systems Ltd has been awarded the COVID-19 Continuity Grant by Innovate UK to allow it to continue development… Read More »UK awards COVID-19 grant to surgery software developer
Pharmaceutical companies have always had access to a steady stream of data to look at what has happened in the past and to try to predict future prescribing trends. Business intelligence (BI) departments have supported this throughout with timely and effective reporting, within an environment… Read More »Next wave: how pharma analytics can be improved with new technologies
New research from MHP Health and ComRes looks at what impacts COVID-19 has had on the public’s health data sharing concerns, and asks how the industry can maintain confidence in data usage after the pandemic. In April, at the beginning of the COVID crisis, the… Read More »Brits more comfortable sharing data with pharma since COVID-19 – survey
US biotech AI Therapeutics has begun a phase 2 trial of its LAM-002A, an antiviral drug that has shown promise against the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus in the lab. The company develops drugs that have been identified with a proprietary artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm that matches drugs… Read More »US biotech uses AI to pick antiviral for COVID-19 trial
An app combining physical therapy, relaxation exercises and medical education developed by Kaia Health has been shown to improve physical and mental symptoms in people with chronic lower back pain. The iOS and Android app was put through its paces in a 1,245-patient study reported… Read More »Kaia app for lower back pain shows its worth in large-scale trial
A digital platform allowing clinicians to remotely monitor cancer patients’ health in real time has been launched in the UK. Already available on iOS with an Android version in the works, Careology Professional aims to give healthcare professionals a view of their patients’ health status… Read More »Careology launches digital platform to monitor cancer patient’s health
With coronavirus vaccine trials finally showing positive results, analysts are starting to wonder what access challenges might lie ahead. We highlight the top R&D, digital and market access news for COVID-19 from the past week. Data from more than 1,000 healthy volunteers dosed with a… Read More »Coronavirus pharma news roundup – 24/07/20
Several digital therapy and digital health firms have been selected to join a group of startups by the innovation platform, Kickstart, linking them with a range of investors in an initiative beginning in autumn. The digital therapy companies include SidekickHealth and Kaia Health, focusing on… Read More »Digital therapy firms link up with Swiss accelerator Kickstart
A large-scale shift towards online GP appointments could reduce no shows, save businesses up to £1.5 billion in lost employee work time, and free up considerable capacity, says a new report. The study – carried out by the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR)… Read More »UK should ramp up online GP consultations, advises report
Biocon has announced a deal with digital therapy specialist Voluntis, aiming to create personalised care for people with type 2 diabetes taking biosimilar insulins. The licensing agreement will allow Biocon to offer patients taking insulin an FDA-approved app called Insulia that provides automated insulin dose… Read More »Biocon annouces digital diabetes tie-up with Voluntis
The COVID-19 crisis has accelerated the shift to a more resilient, agile and innovative digitally-enabled world within healthcare and pharma. But the best companies are going further – by enhancing and expanding their digital channels they are using this as an opportunity for enduring change.… Read More »The enduring innovation and behaviour changes from COVID-19
A smartphone app developed by medical software specialist Allm is being trialled in Japan to see if it can help patients with milder coronavirus symptoms recuperate at home, without tying up healthcare resources. The app – called MySOS – provides “non-contact body monitoring”, harnessing artificial… Read More »Japan trials app to help coronavirus patients recover at home
Sweden’s Orexo has launched two digital therapies in the US earlier than expected, following changes to US regulations that allow early access during the COVID-19 crisis. The two therapies – deprexis to help people with depression manage their symptoms and vorvida for alcohol use disorder… Read More »Orexo launches digital therapies for depression, alcohol misuse early in US
Coronavirus vaccine trials continue – but experts warn that it’s too early to get hopes up. Meanwhile, the rise in digital health looks like it’s here to stay after the pandemic. We highlight the top R&D, digital and market access news for COVID-19 from the… Read More »Coronavirus pharma news roundup – 17/07/20
Teva has launched new digital inhaler and drug combination in the US, containing built-in sensors that connect to a phone to help manage asthma and COPD symptoms. Israel-based Teva said the system conveys information to patients, who can use the product branded as ProAir Digihaler (albuterol sulfate) for patients… Read More »Teva launches digital asthma and COPD rescue inhaler in US
The coronavirus pandemic has shrunk timelines for businesses’ adoption of digital technologies to days and weeks from years, with healthcare firms among those implementing the fastest changes, says a new survey. The poll of more than 2,500 companies around the world – carried out by… Read More »COVID-19 has been a digital “accelerant” for healthcare firms; report
There are plenty of ways to engage with our TEDMED 2020 class of Hive Innovators. Whether in a Hive Innovator Meetup, the Community Lunch, where we will have the opportunity to explore the Innovator’s “What If” questions, or through TEDMED Scout: Your AR Guide to Innovation.… Read More »TEDMED 2020 Hive Innovator Happenings