[DTx Asia] Exploding Digital Health Demand... "Must Enhance Doctors' Convenience to Capture It"

On the 9th, a discussion on the industrial application of DTx was held at the '1st DTx Asia' event at Novotel Ambassador Hotel in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. From the left, Yoon Chan, CEO of EverX; Lee Hae-sung, Executive Director of KT; Marie-Beth Brinson, CEO of Tali; Jason Go, Health Director of Monash; and Vechara Sab, CEO of Mobio Interactive. Photo by Lee Chun-hee

[Asia Economy Reporter Chunhee Lee] As the digital therapeutics (DTx) market grows, there is rising expectation that it can complement the existing healthcare system. However, voices are emerging that to achieve commercialization through actual prescriptions, the system must be improved to enhance doctors' convenience in prescribing.

On the morning of the 9th, at the '1st DTx Asia' held at Novotel Ambassador in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, a discussion was held under the theme "A Time for Change: How Does the Industry Plan to Successfully Integrate DTx into Healthcare?" Chaired by Yoon Chan, CEO of EverX, the panel included Bechara Saab, CEO of Mobio Interactive; Jason Goh, Director of Monash Health Medical Services; Lee Haesung, Head of KT Digital & Biohealth P-TF; and Mary-Beth Brinson, CEO of Thali, who is developing ADHD DTx in Australia.

The participants analyzed that chronic issues in the healthcare system, such as short consultation times per patient and insufficient medical workforce supply, which had been raised before, have rapidly shifted to a surge in demand for digital healthcare due to the drastic changes brought by COVID-19.

Executive Lee said, "The Korean medical environment is known for '3-minute consultations,'" adding, "In such a situation, it is difficult to have more detailed discussions necessary for treatment, so DTx can address these unmet needs." He also noted, "IT companies currently seeking new growth engines are making efforts to create demand through this, preparing for processes such as connecting various data including Electronic Medical Records (EMR), Personal Health Records (PHR), and MyData."

Brinson, CEO of Thali, which is developing ADHD DTx in Australia, viewed that DTx can reduce the treatment burden on patients. He said, "Chronic diseases force patients to change their lifestyles at home and work, and patients and their families bear the treatment burden. However, the rapidly increasing demand cannot be met, with patients having to wait over a year to receive treatment," emphasizing that there is clearly demand arising from this.

Director Goh stated that the COVID-19 pandemic drastically changed the healthcare environment. He said, "Before the major crisis, demand for digital healthcare was not significantly raised. After COVID-19, the necessity of telemedicine emerged, which alleviated medical staff's resistance to using digital technology."

CEO Saab said, "The current healthcare system cannot handle the increasing demand for mental health care," adding, "Even if not limited to DTx, there is clear demand for mental illnesses and central nervous system (CNS) disorders, and this demand is even more open in Asia, where the market has not yet fully matured."

Ultimately, Prescriptions Are by Doctors... "Doctors' Convenience Must Be Considered"

At the same time, they emphasized that to convert such demand into actual sales, it is essential to actively engage stakeholders. They unanimously agreed that, given the nature of DTx being delivered to end consumers?the patients?through doctors' prescriptions, it is necessary to improve doctors' accessibility to DTx.

CEO Saab explained, "Since integrating DTx into existing systems is important, the platform was designed with doctors' convenience in mind," adding, "This provides additional data during workflow processes and offers advice on clinical decision-making." Integration with related systems such as Electronic Health Records (EHR) was also presented as a critical task. Director Goh said, "If integration is smoothly achieved, DTx prescriptions could be made with just a few clicks by doctors," emphasizing, "Practical integration must be realized."

Executive Lee mentioned that synergy with pharmaceutical companies could also be pursued in this process. He explained, "Pharmaceutical companies will also attempt to combine their drug portfolios with DTx, which could make the sales process smoother, and the same applies to IT companies."