Exploring Novel Uses for Prescription Digital Therapeutics in Mental Health

Panelists discuss how negative symptoms of schizophrenia differ from positive and cognitive symptoms, explaining that negative symptoms involve withdrawal, flat affect, and poverty of thought rather than the more visible hallucinations and delusions of positive symptoms.

Panelists discuss how negative symptoms create significant patient burden by appearing during the prodromal period in late adolescence and requiring a comprehensive biopsychosocial treatment approach that addresses biological, psychological, and social aspects of care.

Panelists discuss how the global shortage of psychiatrists contributes to patient burden by necessitating expanded training for other health care professionals, including nurse practitioners, physician assistants, primary care doctors, and law enforcement to recognize and manage schizophrenia symptoms.

Panelists discuss how prescription digital therapeutics can serve the psychological and social components of schizophrenia treatment while potentially improving medication adherence, similar to how digital monitoring tools enhance outcomes in other chronic conditions like diabetes and hypertension.

Panelists discuss how prescription digital therapeutics are currently used in clinical practice, noting that while none are yet approved for schizophrenia, CT-155 shows promise in phase 3 trials, and existing PDTs like Rejoyn for depression demonstrate the potential for technology-based interventions.

Panelists discuss how the CONVOKE clinical trial was designed as a 16-week study focusing specifically on patients with negative symptoms, incorporating patient input in app development and showing improvements in negative symptoms, depression, and cognitive function even in chronically ill patients.

Panelists discuss how prescription digital therapeutics will ideally be used in combination with traditional medications to provide optimal outcomes, particularly for patients hesitant about medication or those in early stages of illness where diagnostic certainty may be evolving.