Enhancing Digital Medicine to Tackle Addiction

BOSTON and SAN FRANCISCO, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Pear Therapeutics (PEAR) announced today that it is the recipient of a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Fast-Track award funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).  Grant #R44DA042652 will support the development of next generation digital therapeutics to treat opioid use disorder (OUD).  The effort will apply enhanced engagement and gamification mechanisms to reSET® and reSET-O™, PEAR's current products for the treatment of substance use disorder (SUD) and OUD.  

reSET® and reSET-O™ are prescription digital therapeutics comprised of a patient-facing smartphone application and a clinician-facing web interface.  The products have been validated in 5 randomized clinical studies involving more than 1500 patients with SUD and OUD.  These studies have demonstrated that reSET® and reSET-O™ effectively deliver behavioral therapy for addiction conditions and improve patient outcomes including abstinence and program retention in a variety of clinical settings and treatment intervals ranging from 12 weeks to 12 months.  

The pivotal clinical study examining reSET® demonstrated a dose-response relationship: a direct correlation between therapeutic module completion and abstinence was observed.  PEAR is exploring methods such as immersive environments, enhanced storytelling, and gamification to support improved module completion, and hence to further improve treatment outcomes.  "We are thrilled to receive this award from NIDA. The project provides us the opportunity to further optimize our products to treat opioid use disorder, creating even more engaging and efficacious treatment options for patients," said Corey McCann, MD PhD, President and CEO of PEAR.

"I am extremely proud of the partnership that we have developed with PEAR Therapeutics, a leader in the industry," said Amanda Wilson, MD, President and CEO of the CleanSlate Research and Education Foundation. 

PEAR will collaborate with CleanSlate Research and Education Foundation and Columbia University Medical Center Department of Psychiatry's Division on Substance Use Disorders on the project.  The group will design, implement, and validate next-generation digital therapeutics.  "I am extremely proud of the partnership that we have developed with PEAR Therapeutics, a leader in the industry.  Continuing to search for and explore ways to provide a digital transformation for how we deliver addiction disease management is of prime interest to the Foundation.  This NIDA grant will help us explore how technology tools can keep patients interested and engaged, thereby improving treatment quality.  Given the magnitude of this opioid epidemic, treatment providers need to be able to offer a variety of different tools to assist patients in their recovery," said Amanda Wilson, MD, President and CEO of the CleanSlate Research and Education Foundation. 

About Pear Therapeutics

Pear Therapeutics is a privately held eHealth company with offices in Boston and San Francisco.  The Company develops digital therapeutics to address a broad range of severe conditions including substance use disorders, schizophrenia, pain, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression, and sleep. PEAR's eFormulation™ platform combines pharmaceutical preparations with user-friendly, customizable, and scientifically validated software applications.  PEAR's patented approach provides better outcomes for patients, smarter engagement and tracking tools for clinicians, and cost-effective solutions for payors.  For additional information please visit our website at www.peartherapeutics.com.

About CREF

CleanSlate Research and Education Foundation (CREF) is a 501-3c not-for-profit organization founded with the primary mission of conducting research in the field of addictive disease management.  CleanSlate Addiction Treatment Centers work very closely in partnership with CREF to enable rigorous evaluation of treatment modalities and interventions that improve patient outcomes primarily in Opioid Use Disorder treatment.  For more information about CleanSlate please go to our website at www.cleanslatecenters.com.

About Opioid Use Disorder (OUD)

OUD is a chronic, relapsing disease, impacting more than 2.5 million US individuals over the age of 12. OUD has reached epidemic proportions in the US, with a record 33,091 lethal opioid overdoses in 2015.   Remarkably, 80-90% of individuals with OUD do not receive treatment, even though OUD can be successfully treated when neurobehavioral therapy is combined with buprenorphine pharmacotherapy.  Access to care and variability in quality of care are major barriers to effectively managing the clinical condition.

NIH Disclaimer

The research proposal described herein was supported by the National Institute On Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number R44DA042652. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

SOURCE Pear Therapeutics

Related Links

http://www.peartherapeutics.com