Digital health company etectRx has entered into an agreement with Pear Therapeutics, Inc. to develop up to two product candidates in the Central Nervous System (CNS) space combining Prescription Digital Therapeutics (PDTs) and adherence sensors. The collaboration is the first of its kind to explore the use of digital pill solutions with PDTs.

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“This collaboration between etectRx and Pear Therapeutics comes at a critical time for the mental health field, an area that is in dire need of immediate solutions,” said Valerie Sullivan, president and CEO of etectRx. “Our goal for this collaboration is to bring concrete solutions to those who need it.”

The ID-Cap System is a four-part FDA cleared system that consists of an ID-Capsule, Reader, Patient App, and Clinician Dashboard.  The ID-Capsule is a digital pill with an embedded ingestible sensor. The sensor communicates a digital signal shortly following ingestion and capsule dissolution. The sensor is naturally and safely eliminated through the patient's GI tract, says a press release.

The Reader is a wearable device that detects messages transmitted from the ingested sensor and forwards them to the Patient App and Clinician Dashboard. The Patient App allows patients to view ingestion events in real-time as well as medication use history. The app can send notifications to remind patients to take their medication. The Clinician Dashboard displays the information flow that starts with the ingestion of the ID-Capsule and provides the clinician with both real-time notifications and a history of their patients' ingestion events. The ID-Cap System is intended to log, track, and trend intake times and enables unattended data collection for clinical applications.

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“We see a significant opportunity for PDTs that involve digital pill technologies, like the ID-Cap System,” said Corey McCann, M.D., Ph.D., president and CEO of Pear Therapeutics. “Optimized medication dosing presents a treatment lever for PDTs and creates an opportunity for a whole range of drug/software combination products.”