The DTxP software has been developed by Orion in close collaboration with external scientific advisor Christopher Eccleston from University of Bath, and technology partner Healthware Group, with support from Business Finland.

Earlier when the results were announced, Sammeli Liikkanen, Director of Digital Medicine at Orion Corporation, noted how Digital therapeutics (DTx) is a new and rapidly evolving treatment paradigm, also for pain.

This year at the Frontiers Health 2021, which takes place in November 11 – 12, Mr. Liikkanen and Mr. Eccleston are joined on stage by Kati Kaijasilta, Business Development Director at Orion Corporation as well as Petteri Kolehmainen, Managing Director for Nordics and Baltics at Healthware Group.

In this session, you’ll learn more about chronic pain and how it has been treated with Behavioral Cognitive Therapy, hear the compelling story how the DTxP solution was developed and obtain more details about the results of the VIRPI study. You’ll see actual video from the virtual reality experience from the study, as well as a glimpse into the next version of the solution, which is currently under development. The session will end with introductions to the business and partnership opportunities, as well as taking questions from the audience.

Frontiers Health is one of the premier global digital health innovation events, with a strong focus on digital therapies, breakthrough technologies, healthcare transformation, investments, and ecosystem development. This year it is held in Milan, Italy, and virtually on November 11th and 12th.

Both studies illustrate the progress that can be made when women’s health challenges are brought to the fore. But women’s health advocates caution that the field is often still viewed too narrowly.

The study of health and disease in women should not be limited to conditions that affect only women. Conditions such as type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease and heart disease affect men and women differently.
Such diseases must be studied in both men and women, with the recognition that diagnosis, prognosis and treatment might need to be different between the sexes.

Heart attacks, for example, are a leading killer of both women and men, but women don’t always experience the ‘typical’ symptoms usually seen in men.

Women are also more prone to blood clots after a heart attack, yet less likely to be prescribed anti-clotting medication by their doctors. Women are 50% more likely than men to receive an initial misdiagnosis after a heart attack, and are less likely to be prescribed medicines to reduce the risk of a second attack, according to the British Heart Foundation.

Since 2016, the US National Institutes of Health has required researchers to carry out pre-clinical studies in both male and female animals, tissues and cells, or to provide an explanation for why it is not appropriate to study both sexes. Now it is up to other funders, researchers and journals to amplify the impact of this change by taking care to report sex-specific data in publications.

Funders should also bolster the resources given to support studies of health and disease in women, and track how much money goes to supporting such research across all domains, not merely gynaecological conditions. That which gets measured gets done.

Read the full article at https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-02085-6

The aim is to bring big pharma corporations, Nordic and Estonian health start-ups, scaleups and researchers together in order to explore business opportunities.

It can take lot of time and effort to reach out and connect with the right people. Now you have a unique chance to get connected and discover opportunities for collaboration with pharma companies.

Event time

Date: Wednesday 15 September 2021
Time: 15.00-18.00 Helsinki, EEST / 14.00-17.00 Stockholm, CET
Content: 1 hour of reverse pitching and panel discussion, 2 hours reserved for 1:1 meetings

More information and how to register here

The event is sponsored by Amgen, Pfizer and Takeda (other sponsors to be confirmed) and in collaboration with Health Tech Nordic.

The event is organised online, and it’s free of charge for participating startups, scaleups and researchers.

We are very excited to share the great results of the Orion Corporation Clinical Trial where Healthware was the key R&D partner creating a Digital Therapeutics solution (DTx) for chronic pain patients.

A novel treatment, a Digital Therapeutics software solution for Chronic Pain (DTxP), using Virtual Reality (VR), has shown statistically significant benefit over passive (placebo) control and standard care interventions for fear of movement, patient clinical global impression of change (PGIC) and quality of life in adult patients with chronic low back pain (CLBP). Results from the pilot study were announced at the IASP 2021 Virtual World Congress On Pain.

Background: Growing opportunities with Virtual Reality

The results from this clinical trial are very positive, and it also gives hope to find a way to bring this solution to the people with chronic pain who need it. In the future we will likely see more of these kinds of solutions being developed, also for other kinds of therapies and treatments.

Read the full article by Therese Elg, Marketing & Communications Director Nordics & Baltics, Healthware International, at www.healthwaregroup.com/blog

The app was originally developed for clinical use, but now the CE-certified Medified is available for everyone without charge. With this first official app launch, Medified Solutions wants to encourage open discussion around mental health issues.

The timing of the launch is perfect as it occurs at the same time with the Mental Health Awareness Week.

Medified can be used as a proactive personal mental well-being tracking, and as a digital communication tool between mental health recoverer and healthcare professionals. This means that with Medified, you can also share your mood information securely and easily with your own healthcare professional to foster a shared understanding and receive better care.

More info here

The updated report includes a total of 24 companies from the Nordic countries showcasing their solutions and ambitions, especially chosen for their relevance to the japanese market.

The Nordics and Japan have much in common, and face many of the same challenges. Both regions are relatively affluent, and technologically advanced. Both face an aging population and dwindling workforce, necessitating innovative solutions in healthcare technologies. The Nordic healthcare ecosystems are globally renowned for providing efficient, high-quality, population-wide health-care systems.

Nordic Healthtech has never been more relevant, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. There is an urgent need for introducing solutions that enable remote monitoring and treatment of patients, and provide tools for prevention, earlier diagnosis, and self-help.

Download the full report

Today, the smart ring has expanded beyond sleep and into measuring other vital signs. While you’re awake, Oura captures data that reflects your activity and movement. When you’re sleeping, Oura captures meaningful data as nighttime is the best opportunity to get an accurate read on your overall health as your body is in a more consistent state.

On May the 4^th, the company announced a $100 million Series C. The round, led by The Chernin Group and Elysian Park (the Dodgers’ investment arm), brings the wearable company’s total funding up to $148.3 million.

New investors include Temasek, JAZZ Venture Partners and Eisai, joining existing investors Forerunner Ventures, Square, MSD Capital, Marc Benioff, Lifeline Ventures, Metaplanet Holdings and Next Ventures.

Launched out of Finland by founders Kari Kivela, Markku Koskela and Petteri Lahtela, Oura introduced its vision of a sleep-tracking smart ring in 2015, well exceeding its goals on Kickstarter before raising $5.3 million in first venture capital in 2016.

Originally estimated to ship by the end of 2015, Oura’s rings actually arrived to customers starting in early 2018. Singh Rai, an electrical engineering major at the University of Michigan who managed tech investments for a hedge fund and was an avid user and investor, took over as CEO later that year, as the company’s first U.S. hire.

Oura has a headcount that has been increasing over the past year from about 100 to 250. Sales of Oura rings took off over the same period: to date, it’s sold more than 500,000 rings, up from 150,000 about a year ago.