Powered by real-time patient engagement, asthma control is moving from reactive treatment modification to early intervention thanks to digital solution.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN:US)

BAAR, SWITZERLAND, July 5, 2022 /EINPresswire.com/ -- AstraZeneca has signed a cooperation agreement with the Swiss-Israeli startup company docdok.health to develop a new digital solution that can monitor patients’ asthma status in real-time, identifying situations in which asthma may worsen and sending immediate alerts to the treating physician. Basis is an app, Velaria DTx, which combines direct feedback from the patients together with automatically collected real-world data, such as air quality in the patients’ environment.

Respiratory diseases impact more than 550 million people globally and are a major economic burden on health care systems. Current, management of respiratory diseases is based on patient-driven reports on the day of their physician visit which can result in an inaccurate evaluation of a patient’s health state. This can result in inadequate medical intervention and high incidence of improper inhaler use by patients, including variation in dosing and compliance.

Dr. Ulrich Muehlner, CEO and Co-Founder of docdok.health, said: “Improper inhaler use is one of the major reasons many patients complain about the ineffectiveness of treatment and the decrease in the level of adherence to treatment. docdok.health aims to improve patients’ lives and treatment outcomes through personalized digital solutions leveraging patient-generated health data.” Dr. Yves Nordmann, CMO and Co-Founder of docdok.health, adds: “Collaborating with AstraZeneca in creating novel digital solutions for chronic respiratory diseases is an exciting opportunity to jointly advance the quality of life of asthma patients.”

Ohad Goldberg, Country President of AstraZeneca Israel, said: “The ambition of this collaboration is to change the future of the treatment of chronic respiratory diseases. Collaborating with startups in the field of digital health is critical for the development of new and innovative tools, that, together with advancements in treatments, will dramatically improve patient outcomes. We welcome the partnership with docdok.health and hope this new solution will help advance the management of asthma which can significantly impair quality of life and financial burden health systems around the world.”

The two companies will collaborate in a clinical study at Sheba Hospital in Israel followed by an observational study at the University Hospital of Zurich. The first phase of the study is expected to complete by the end of the third quarter of 2022. Based on the learnings of these studies, the parties will explore further collaboration opportunities to improve the treatment of asthma patients as well as in other disease areas such as COVID-19.

docdok.health, founded in 2017, is an internationally multi-awarded Swiss-Israeli digital health company delivering data-driven personalized healthcare solutions for organizations such as (university) hospitals, medical practices, pharma, and health insurance companies to improve patient outcomes through better communication as well as collection and analysis of patient-generated health data. The modular docdok platform, which easily integrates with primary health information systems, connects healthcare professionals (HCPs) with patients, enables data-driven optimal patient care, supports HCPs within their workflows, and motivates patients to take better care of their health, is already rolled-out in four countries. Furthermore – based on its platform approach – docdok.health is developing and delivering software as medical device (SaMD) products, allowing digital therapeutics (DTx) to reach the standard of care via reimbursement, and has already two CE-certified DTx products that are ready for commercialization.

The two founders are experienced healthcare experts, previously working for Novartis, BCG, Welldoc and Oviva. In 2018, docdok.health was selected as one of the most promising healthtech start-ups in Europe. In October 2019, the company became the first European start-up to be accepted into the ARC incubator at the prestigious Sheba Hospital. In March 2020, Swiss Bilan Magazine picked docdok.health as one of the "50 leading startups in which to invest in Switzerland in 2020”, and in 2021, docdok.health received the EIT Health Investor Network “Gold Company” label.

Velaria DTx – A new digital solution with the ambition to improve the treatment of respiratory diseases
docdok.health has developed a digital system for personally tailored respiratory disease treatment called Velaria DTx. The system aims to utilize various patient-generated health data and digital biomarkers to improve the management and response to treatment as well as to predict and avoid conditions for which a patient’s disease state is liable to worsen. It monitors the patient objectively, enables patient involvement such as the entry of the self-perceived health state, and allows for notification of the treating physician in case of significant changes
Velaria DTx uses data integrations which allow for a more data-driven monitoring of the patient’s asthma by both the physician and patients. Patients receive a mobile application and, with their consent, can collect objective data on the air quality of the environment as well as their symptoms and physical activity. The app also allows the gathering of subjective data on the patient state via questionnaires. Based on the data collected, the system will be able to better evaluate the patient's condition, help prevent asthma from flaring up, and allow the doctor to provide the patient with more effective support.

The collaboration between docdok.health and AstraZeneca was established during the first cohort of the PlayBeyondBio program in 2020. The program, managed as a partnership between AstraZeneca, JVP, Margalit Startup City community, Kahn Sagol Maccabi Research and Innovation institute, Microsoft for startups, Cisco, and Shaare Zedek Hospital, offers digital health startups mentorships, access to resources and expertise, opportunities to work directly with leading global stakeholders to sharpen the company's vision, locate potential markets, determine marketing messages, and assimilate technology. This program is part of A.Catalyst, a global network of health innovation hubs which AstraZeneca operates in more than 20 locations around the world to identify and develop the next generation of innovative healthcare solutions.

AstraZeneca
AstraZeneca is a global, science-led biopharmaceutical company that focuses on the discovery, development, and commercialization of prescription medicines in Oncology, Rare Diseases, and BioPharmaceuticals, including Cardiovascular, Renal & Metabolism, and Respiratory & Immunology. Based in Cambridge, UK, AstraZeneca operates in over 100 countries and its innovative medicines are used by millions of patients worldwide.

Daniel Widrig
AstraZeneca
Media.Switzerland@astrazeneca.com