Category: Health

Nancy Santos Gainer, spokeswoman, West Chester University.

William Schaffner, MD, professor of infectious diseases, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville.

Amesh Adalja, MD, infectious disease specialist, senior scholar, Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, Baltimore.

Leana Wen, MD, emergency doctor, public health policy professor, George Washington University, Washington, DC.

Shilpa Bakre, spokesperson, University of Texas.

Georgetown University: “Public Health Alert: Presumptive Monkeypox Case.”

Bucknell University: “Monkeypox information.”

The Hill: “Monkeypox case found on George Washington campus.”

The GW Hatchet: “First case of monkeypox identified in GW community.”

STAT: “As monkeypox spreads, university campuses prepare for another outbreak.”

University of North Florida: “Monkeypox.”

Northwestern University: “Information About Monkeypox: Planning Our Approach to Preparation and Prevention”

Cornell University: “Monkeypox: What to Know.”

Heather Harper, spokesperson, University of California.

CDC: “2022 US Map & Case Count,” “Considerations for Reducing Monkeypox Transmission in Congregate Living Settings.”

Chicago Tribune: “Colleges, universities across Illinois begin monkeypox prep with students set to return this month.”

CNN: “To prepare for possible monkeypox spread, colleges focus on educating students.”

Community Impact Newspaper: “UT Austin responds to first confirmed monkeypox case on campus.”

The Philadelphia Inquirer: “West Chester student tests positive for monkeypox.”

Higher Ed Dive: “Here’s what colleges should know to prepare for monkeypox.”

Virtual clinical supervision platform Motivo Health raised $14 million in a Series A funding round led by long-term investor Cox Enterprises, with participation from SteelSky Ventures and Great Oaks Venture Capital.

Motivo enables virtual supervision and coordination of licensure requirements for mental health at the state level, connecting them with clinical supervisors to help reduce the cost and time to achieve and maintain licensure for therapists.

The company’s founder, therapist Rachel McCrickard, started Motivo in 2017 to help remove the barriers she faced when getting her own license, when she was forced to travel two hours to the closest supervisor.

Users can browse Motivo’s directory of nearly 1,000 vetted supervisors, with the ability to filter by state, license type and specialty area, then schedule a free introductory call.

Once they have matched with a supervisor, the supervision sessions can begin immediately through a tiered pay-as-you-go model that can be customized according to a group’s size, or as a one-on-one option.

Motivo’s platform includes a back-end practice-management component for supervisors, along with other features for hours tracking, secure documentation and payment.

The Atlanta-based startup has also formed partnerships with the American Counseling Association and the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT), and recorded a $2.2 million seed funding round in December 2019, also led by Cox Enterprises.

THE LARGER TREND

Startups in the mental health space continue to receive funding, including mental health chatbot Wysa, which in July scored $20 million in a Series B financing round led by HealthQuad.

That same month, teletherapy startup Sensible Care raised $13 million in a Series A funding round and plans to use the funds to expand to states with large TRICARE populations, like Texas, Florida and Virginia.

Earlier this year, mental health benefits startup Spring Health expanded into family care through a partnership with Weldon that offers chats with therapists, social workers and parenting coaches, as well as group support and educational content.

It’s not just startups. Amazon plans to add behavioral health services to its Amazon Care offering, and via a partnership with digital mental health company Ginger.

ON THE RECORD

“At a time when our society needs quality mental health providers, it’s critical we leverage technology to remove unnecessary barriers in the licensure process,” McCrickard said in a statement.

“We are thrilled to deepen our partnership with Cox Enterprises, SteelSky Ventures and others. Our investors align with our mission and will help accelerate our growth, while also keeping a keen eye on the overall quality and impact we are having on the mental health profession.”

Japanese medical technology firm CureApp is getting 7 billion yen ($51.4 million) in investment from global investment firm Carlyle as part of their strategic partnership.

Carlyle is taking a minority stake in the company, which has so far raised 13.4 billion yen ($98 million) in capital funding.

Founded in 2014, CureApp is involved in the research and development of prescription and non-prescription digital therapeutics applications.

WHAT IT’S FOR

The latest funds, which form part of the company’s Series G funding round, will support the rollout of CureApp’s prescription DTx app for the treatment of hypertension. It will also help advance the development of its pipeline DTx apps.

THE LARGER TREND

In April, CureApp obtained approval from Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare for its hypertension DTx app, which was found to have decreased the risk of developing cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases by 10.7% in a clinical trial last year. The company also received the same approval for its smoking cessation treatment app in 2020.

Presently, CureApp is developing DTx apps to treat non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, alcohol addiction, breast cancer, and chronic heart failure. 

The global DTx market is projected to reach $13.8 billion in value by 2027, growing at a 20.5% CAGR from 2019.

Indonesian digital pharmacy Lifepack scores $7M in Series A funding

Lifepack, a digital pharmacy in Indonesia, has raised $7 million in a Series A funding round led by Golden Gate Ventures. 

Launched in 2020, the mobile health platform offers quality and cheap medicines, including over-the-counter drugs, general supplements, and medication for chronic illnesses. Available on Android and iOS devices, Lifepack also provides on-demand online consultation from registered doctors and a team of certified pharmacists. 

According to a news report, its fresh funds will go to building seven more pharmacy warehouses across Indonesia, adding to its existing two warehouses in Jakarta and Surabaya.

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CureApp signs license deal with Sawai Group for upcoming NASH DTx app

Japanese medical technology company CureApp is getting an investment worth up to 10.5 billion yen ($77 million) as part of a newly signed deal with the pharmaceutical firm Sawai Group. 

The license agreement will provide the Sawai Group exclusive rights for the development and marketing of a new digital therapeutics app for the treatment of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), an advanced form of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. 

CureApp notes that there are some two million patients with NASH in Japan today with 10 million more who are at risk of developing the disease. 

Its upcoming DTx app will provide users with a personalised daily behaviour therapy regimen and a visual guide of their treatment status. 

The company plans to roll out the app in medical institutions via its proprietary app prescription service. Presently, CureApp is preparing to enter the third phase of clinical trials of the NASH DTx app. 

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Wipro GE Healthcare ties up with Boston Scientific for combined heart care offerings in India

Medical technology company Wipro GE Healthcare and Boston Scientific, a US-based medical device manufacturer, have entered into a collaboration to deliver end-to-end interventional cardiac care solutions in India. 

Boston Scientific will combine its medical devices with GE Healthcare’s medical imaging systems, particularly its cardiac catheterisation lab and related software, to support diagnostics through treatment and monitoring of the cardiac patient-care pathway.

The organisations will also support the training and education of healthcare professionals and will raise consumer awareness about the innovations in cardiac catheterisation procedures.

A similar collaboration that offers their combined cardiology solutions has also kicked off in Southeast Asia.

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Mental health app Intellect supports Banyan Tree’s wellness programme

Digital mental health platform Intellect has partnered with multinational hospitality group Banyan Tree to support the latter’s wellbeing programme. 

Guests who have booked the Wellbeing Sanctuary service at Banyan Tree Bintan in Indonesia will have access to the Intellect mobile app as part of an end-to-end wellbeing support package.

From August, guided content and habit-building programs from the Intellect app will be made available for guests to access throughout and after their stay.

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AstraZeneca to deliver Alveofit’s IoT-powered spirometers across Indian care settings 

AstraZeneca India has teamed up with digital respiratory care platform Alveofit to deliver IoT-enabled spirometers across its network of care settings in India.

According to a press statement, the Alveofit devices will be used to remotely monitor the conditions of patients with lung disorders and associated non-communicable diseases like asthma, pulmonary fibrosis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

It will be distributed in select hospitals under AstraZeneca’s A.Catalyst network, which includes Employee’s State Insurance Corp. hospitals, command and military hospitals, general hospitals and last mile clinics in cities such as Lucknow, Chennai, Nagpur, Delhi, Ahmedabad and Kolkata.

Fred launches third-party apps marketplace for pharmacies

Australian pharmacy IT solutions provider Fred IT Group has launched an online marketplace of third-party applications for pharmacies.

Called Fred Marketplace, the web-based hub has solutions that have been approved and tested for use with Fred’s software, including apps and integrations for robots, eCommerce, business intelligence, clinical services, drug information and medication management, loyalty and payment.

Third-party solutions come from Fred’s trusted vendor partners, namely BD, Dataology, GuildLink, LifeSmart, MIMs, Modeus, Storbie, StrongRoom, Tyro, and Willach Pharmacy Solutions. 

The marketplace will continue to bring on new software partners and approved applications as it expands.

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University of South Australia researchers develop fibre sensors to remotely monitor patients

Scientists from the University of South Australia have developed tiny optical fibre sensors to remotely track the positions of patients dealing with painful pressure sores in their beds.

“Each year, thousands of older Australians in hospitals and nursing homes experience pressure injuries, or ulcers, which take a long time to heal and can be fatal. At the very least, these injuries can cause severe pain, disrupt sleep, affect their mood, as well as their rehabilitation, mobility and quality of life,” said Dr Stephen Warren-Smith, the lead researcher behind the new technology.

The fibre sensors are attached to the upper surface of a mattress to monitor movement and record heart and respiratory rates.

By picking up their breathing, the unobtrusive sensors can detect when a patient turns over, leaves a bed, or remains motionless. Nurses can be prompted if a patient has not moved for hours so they could adjust their position.

Current methods to monitor patients dealing with pressure sores use weight-based sensors, which cannot predict when a patient leaves the bed until their feet touch the floor. Camera-based technologies are also being used, although privacy is a major concern.

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EpiAxis Therapeutics, Peptilogics partner for AI drug discovery

Australian drug developer EpiAxis Therapeutics and Peptilogics, a US-based biotechnology company, will harness AI in drug discovery to inhibit epigenetic oncology targets. 

Their project will make use of Peptilogics’ AI platform Nautilus, together with EpiAxis’s expertise in epigenetics, to advance drug discovery for cancers that escape existing therapies through epigenetic change, including metastatic breast cancer.

“We will focus on lead optimisation using Peptilogics’ Nautilus platform, which combines proprietary deep generative models, predictive models, and biophysical simulation to design multiparameter-optimised peptides with [the] potential to address historically challenging and novel drug targets,” said Peptilogics CTO Nicholas Nystrom.

This partnership follows EpiAxis’s recently concluded clinical trial which for the first time has used an epigenetic inhibitor alongside chemotherapy to treat metastatic cancer.

Analysis by Dr. Joseph Mercola
Fact Checked

• August 19, 2022Download PDF

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Analysis by Dr. Joseph Mercola
Fact Checked

• August 19, 2022Download PDF

  4886

Aug. 18, 2022 – Here’s another vote for less screen time. Tracking blood pressure with a smartphone app won’t lead to any greater drop in blood pressure than simply self-monitoring with the kind of device that doctors typically suggest be used at home.

That’s according to a new study involving patients with high blood pressure, also known as hypertension, who were randomly placed into one of two groups. Half of the people in the study self-measured their blood pressure with a standard monitor alone. These devices consist of a measuring unit attached to a cuff made of a piece of rubber or similar material that is wrapped around your arm and then inflated to measure your blood pressure. The other half, or the second group, self-measured their blood pressure using the standard device paired with a connected smartphone app.

Both groups achieved nearly identical reductions in blood pressure (about 11 points in systolic blood pressure – the top number) over 6 months, reported satisfaction with the monitoring process, and shared their readings with their doctors with similar frequency.

The study involved 2,101 adults, generally middle-aged or older, who said they would try to reduce their blood pressure by at least 10 points.

“By itself, standard self-measured blood pressure has minimal effect on BP control,” wrote lead author Mark J. Pletcher, MD, of the University of California, San Francisco, and colleagues in JAMA Internal Medicine. To actually improve blood pressure control, there also needs to be patient feedback, counseling, or other opportunities for intervention.

The researchers also saw other similar results between the two groups in the study. For example, 70% of those who used the app said they would recommend following the process they used to track their blood pressure to a friend, compared with 69% of participants who followed the standard approach.

New devices that link with smartphone apps, like the one used in this trial, send blood pressure measurements to the patient’s smartphone. The apps allow for tracking measurements, interpret the results, and can send reminders to measure blood pressure and take medications. They also offer recommendations for a healthier lifestyle and provide nudges to discuss your blood pressure with your doctor, among other things, the researchers explained.

Pletcher noted that it’s hard to get people to actively use health-related apps for long periods of time.

“There is so much competition for people’s attention on their phone,” he said.

But he hasn’t given up on these apps, saying that “with the right technology and connectivity and user experience, they still could be game-changing for managing” high blood pressure and other long-term health issues.

Matthew Jung, MD, of the University of Southern California, says the study is noteworthy for several reasons, including its large size, the similar level of comfort with technology reported by both groups, and representation of Black and Hispanic people.

But he also pointed out several study limits, including that one-third of the people studied never confirmed they received a device, less than half of the group assigned to using the app said they used it, and the study only lasted 10 weeks.