Digital therapy
Change of Healthcare by Digital Technology
Digital Healthcare and Digital Therapy
What is Digital Healthcare?
At present, there is no unified definition of Digital Healthcare. Therefore, in this article, Digital Healthcare refers to all products and services related to medical care using digital technology. In addition to those that directly cure illnesses, these products and services are being developed for a variety of purposes, including to improve the workflow of medical professionals, to increase convenience for patients and their families, and to prevent healthy people from getting sick.
Examples of Digital Healthcare Include the Following
- Telemedicine systems that enable doctors to examine patients from remote locations
- Services that predict the health status of a patient and signs of illness from a smartphone or smartwatch
- Software that utilizes artificial intelligence to analyze large amounts of medical data to assist diagnosis
- Devices that stimulate the brain with sound, light, and images to heal the mental state
What is Digital Therapy?
Background of The Demand for Digital Healthcare
Balance between Medical Professionals and Patients
The balance between the number of medical professionals and that of patients is a major issue for the proper implementation of medical care. If there are not enough healthcare professionals in comparison with the patients, the quality of healthcare will deteriorate, and the protection of people’s health will be difficult. Many countries are facing the problem, with population growth in developing countries and low birth-rate and longevity in developed countries affecting the balance between healthcare professionals and patients. Meanwhile, it is not so easy to gain the number of medical personnel such as doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and laboratory technicians in a short term, because their works are diverse and requires specialized knowledge and skills. From this background, improving the productivity of healthcare services is an urgent issue.
Health Care Financing
More Advanced Approach to Health and Medical Care
Throughout its long history, humanity has fought against all kinds of diseases and has found many medicines and cures in the process. There remains unmet medical needs and unresolved medical problems, however.
People's attitudes toward health have also changed over time. The purpose of medical care should be shifting from simply just prolonging life to maintaining a healthy life and maximizing quality of life
Continuous consideration is necessary about this more advanced health and medical care.
Contributions of Digital Healthcare
Unfortunately, Digital Healthcare or Digital Therapy alone will not solve all of these medical problematic situations today or in the future. However, these digital technology-based new ways certainly have great potential.
Digital Healthcare and Digital Therapy have already been proven or are being proven to be effective in a number of disease areas. They will strongly contribute to addressing unmet medical needs by expanding the options for developing new therapies.
Digital Healthcare and Digital Therapy can also play a significant role in improving quality of life. Digital Healthcare provides continuous treatment in daily life through smartphones and wearable devices, as well as feedback of data obtained in daily life. It will be possible to make optimal behavioural changes according to people's individual situations, maintain health, and relief symptoms.
Thus, the research and development of Digital Healthcare and Digital Therapy is an area of great expansion.
SHIONOGI's Commitment to Digital Healthcare
SHIONOGI's Goals
As mentioned above, the social conditions surrounding healthcare have changed dramatically, and pharmaceutical companies are concerned that they will no longer be able to continue to operate under the business model of simply providing pharmaceuticals as they have in the past. The mission to protect the health of as many people as possible from a broader perspective will become more important than ever for the pharmaceutical companies.
HaaS Creation Company and Digital Healthcare and Digital Therapy
SHIONOGI considers Digital Healthcare and Digital Therapy to be very important in its transformation into a "HaaS Creator Company" as described above, and SHIONOGI is a pioneer in the introduction of Digital Therapy product candidates among Japanese pharmaceutical companies. SHIONOGI is planting and nurturing the seeds for change in this field.