Today, a videogame to help children with ADHD
US health officials possess approved the first game-based treatment for kids with focus deficit hyperactivity disorder, part of a trend toward “digital therapeutics” or software to address certain conditions.
THE MEALS and Drug Administration said Monday it approved the sale by prescription of the game EndeavorRX from health tech startup Akili Interactive for children aged 8-12 who've been diagnosed with ADHD.
The FDA said this is the first digital therapeutic designed to treat ADHD, in addition to the first game-based therapeutic approved for just about any type of condition.
The game, made to improve cognitive function, is designed within a programme that could also include other kinds of therapy, medication, and educational programs.
“The EndeavorRx device offers a non-drug option for bettering symptoms associated with ADHD in children and is an important exemplory case of the developing field of digital remedy and digital therapeutics,” said Jeffrey Shuren, director of the FDA Centre for Devices and Radiological Health.
Digital therapeutics have been approved for several treatments such as addiction disorders and so are being assessment for a variety of additional conditions from chronic pain to anxiety.
EndeavorRX allows children to control cartoon-like characters on a type of hoverboard and was created to aim for and activate neural systems through sensory stimuli and motor challenges to improve cognitive functioning.
“We’re proud to make history today with FDA’s decision,” said Eddie Martucci, chief executive officer of Akili.
“With EndeavorRx, we’re using technology to help treat a condition within an totally new way as we directly target neurological function through medicine that feels as though entertainment.”
The approval of EndeavorRx followed studies of some 600 children diagnosed with ADHD.
The company said the research found that after four weeks of EndeavorRx treatment, one-third of children no more had a measurable attention deficit on at least one way of measuring objective attention and that about half of parents saw a meaningful change within their child’s day-to-evening impairments after a month of treatment with EndeavorRx.
