[DTx Asia] DTx, 'Second Wave' Coming... Personalizing Treatment and Enhancing Cost-Effectiveness (Comprehensive)

'The 1st DTx Asia' Held in Seoul
August 8-9 at Novotel Ambassador, Gangnam-gu, Seoul

Asia's DTx Market Shows Explosive Growth
Potential Grows Amid Persistent Medical Imbalance

On the 8th, a keynote discussion took place at the '1st DTx Asia' held at Novotel Ambassador Hotel in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. Megan Coder, DTA CPO; Abhishek Shah, CEO of Welsh Therapeutics; Juyoung Kim, Head of Welt US Branch; Sarah Jackson, Director of Click Therapeutics (from left). /Photo by Lee Chunhee

[Asia Economy Reporter Chunhee Lee] The domestic digital therapeutics (DTx) industry is accelerating its development, with the first approved digital therapeutic expected to emerge as early as this year. Reflecting this enthusiasm, an event envisioning the future of the DTx industry in the Asia region was held in Seoul.

According to industry sources on the 9th, the "1st DTx Asia" was held over two days, from the 8th to the 9th, at the Novotel Ambassador in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. This event, organized for the first time this year, is the Asian sister event of the United States' "DTx East," the world's largest DTx event. Originally scheduled to be held in Singapore, the organizer, Gray Green, stated, "We changed the venue to Seoul to reflect Korea's large-scale budget allocation for DTx and recent plans for reimbursement." This indicates a recognition of Seoul, South Korea, as a potential hub within the Asia region.

The chairperson on the first day of the event was Juyoung Kim, newly appointed director of the World Digital Therapeutics Association (DTA) and head of Welt's U.S. branch. In the keynote discussion held the previous day, Director Kim said, "While the first wave of digital therapeutics was a standard treatment for all, the second wave is now coming," predicting that "personalized predictive treatment will become possible through patient data." Megan Coder, DTA Chief Policy Officer (CPO), remarked, "When I was studying pharmacy, no one talked about treating patients with software," emphasizing that "software as a medical device (SaMD) must prove that it can truly help patients."

DTx to Address Unmet Needs in Asia with Severe Medical Inequality

The Asian DTx industry is experiencing explosive growth, according to evaluations. Chen Kaishen, CEO of Sinocore, described it as a "boom." He said, "During the COVID-19 pandemic, patients and doctors connected digitally, confirming clinical benefits," adding, "With active capital investment, there is growing interest in technologically promising companies."

On the regulatory front, active movements are observed in the Asia region, with Korean regulatory authorities publishing the world's first DTx approval and review guidelines in 2020. Coder, the CPO, said about Korea's guidelines, "Other countries also refer to them," and evaluated that "Korea is leading global DTx regulation as a leader."

On the 8th, a keynote discussion took place at the 1st DTx Asia held at the Novotel Ambassador Hotel in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. From left to right: Kim Ju-young, Head of Welt US Corporation; Qian Kaixian, CEO of Sinocore; Arvinder Singal, CEO of Peterfly; Christopher Wasden, CSO of Twill; Luis Faye, Head of Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) at J?lich Pharma. Photo by Lee Chun-hee

Hopeful analyses also emerged that DTx can alleviate medical inequality while reducing patients' economic burdens. Louis Payet, head of Mergers & Acquisitions at Zulik Pharma, analyzed, "DTx can solve medical accessibility issues in Indonesia, Vietnam, and other countries," noting that "it represents a huge market of about 70 million people in Asia alone." Sarah Jackson, director at Click Therapeutics, explained DTx's strengths by saying, "It allows spending less on treatment for diseases," while emphasizing that "a DTx ecosystem needs to be developed, including converting traditional pharmaceuticals into DTx." Regarding CureApp's hypertension DTx "CureApp HT," which succeeded in being reimbursed by Japan's national health insurance, Jo Shijun, global BD director at CureApp, said, "Considering lifetime medical costs, hypertension patients using both existing treatments and CureApp can achieve a cost reduction effect of 590,000 yen (approximately 5.57 million KRW) per person."

There was also a prospect that by coexisting with the existing medical system and filling previously unmet needs, the medical industry can advance further. Arvinder Singhal, CEO of Peterfly, defined DTx as the "future" in this context. Referring to India's situation, including increased mobile usage, the rising importance of patient monitoring, and the surge in patients with metabolic diseases, he said, "DTx is the path to the future as it enables patients to participate in their own treatment and allows doctors to save time."

Sohyun Kwon, CEO of InnoCube, a subsidiary of Handok, also said, "DTx is a new innovative treatment option for patients," adding, "It is generally difficult to track drug side effects, but if continuous monitoring and intervention can be achieved through DTx, it can provide new support for existing treatments, such as tracking side effects."