Top 10 Digital Health News Of 2021

From the approval of a new prescription VR treatment to renewed privacy concerns, 2021 has been full of digital health developments. Indeed, some news might have gone under the radar or might require a quick refresher; so we’re wrapping up 2021 with a round-up of 10 of the most important digital health news of this year.

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1. FDA-approved prescription VR treatment for chronic back pain

In mid-November, the FDA authorised a virtual reality (VR) system as a prescription treatment for chronic back pain. Called EaseVRx, it combines cognitive behaviour therapy techniques and breathing exercises to help relax, distract and improve awareness of internal signals. The system was used in an 8-week study, where those who used EaseVRx were found to have significant pain reduction.

It’s a clear trend that the FDA has been taking lately regarding digital therapeutics (DTx). In 2020, it approved EndeavorRx, a prescription video game for the treatment of children with ADHD. In October 2021, the regulatory body cleared a VR treatment for lazy eye in children. It could be issuing approvals of more research-backed DTx in the near future.

2. Study finds pandemic-induced telehealth adoption

It was touted that the COVID-19 pandemic led to the widespread adoption of remote healthcare, but now we have the hard science to back up this claim in a study published earlier this year that involved over 36 million people in the U.S. 

In it, researchers found that in the first four months of the pandemic, 23.6% of ambulatory care contacts were made through telehealth. In the same period in 2019, the number of such visits was only 0.3%. “By undertaking this study, we sought to gain an understanding of the patterns of virtual care during this initial phase of the COVID-19 era,” wrote the researchers.   

3. Amazon planning to expand its healthcare reach

Amazon has not been shy of its healthcare endeavours; and kept on expanding its reach in this sector. According to a Business Insider report, the tech giant is working on bringing its telehealth as well as in-person services to 20 major U.S. cities through 2022 to its employees. The latter include the likes of follow-up blood draws and exams.

But Amazon does not plan to stop there. The report also notes that the company is planning to provide the service to insured people on top of its own employees.

4. Zoom testing telehealth mobile browser client 

Given the recent surge in popularity of telehealth services, other companies will likely want in on the trend. One such company is Zoom, which tested a telehealth mobile browser client on iOS devices. Launched in August, the service simplifies the telehealth approach as it does not require an app. Providers can share a link to patients via text or email which they can use to join a meeting.

“Downloading an app was a struggle for some patients, particularly the elderly or those who don’t want to clutter their phones with apps,” said Heidi West, head of healthcare at Zoom. “We needed to be able to support our clients to remove any friction points that make the engagement a challenge.” 

5. 23andMe’s plan to leverage its genetic database for drug development

Over the years since it started its operation, 23andMe has become synonymous with consumer genetic tests. Its DNA testing kits have been bought by over 11 million people; and this has led the company to amass a significant genetic database. According to a Bloomberg report from November, the company never intended to stop at that. Anne Wojcicki, the company’s CEO, founded 23andMe with the intention to develop drugs based on genetic profiles.

This is what the company is now in the process of doing. 23andMe is leveraging these genetic data to work on clinical trials for a new cancer drug. It is also exploring other potential medications for neurological, cardiovascular and other conditions. While 23andMe’s findings could be promising, it will face a host of ethical challenges with this plan given the highly sensitive nature of genetic data and the question of whether its clients were fully aware of such potential use of their data.

6. 3D printed drug for rheumatoid arthritis treatment gets FDA clearance

3D printing technology company Triastek’s first 3D printed drug, the T19, received FDA approval in February. T19 is aimed at patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis; an autoimmune condition characterised by swelling and stiffening of joints. Triastek uses a 3D printing technique that enables it to customise T19 to boost its therapeutic effects. This technique is also said to minimise side effects.

7. Apple-funded study shows remote heart monitoring potentials of iPhones and Apple Watches 

As with its Big Tech counterparts, Apple is also eyeing the healthcare industry. In particular, its focus seems heavily fixated on turning the Apple Watch into a point-of-care device. In 2021, one of the company’s funded studies further underpinned this vision. The study, conducted by Stanford University researchers, used sensor data from iPhones and Apple Watches to assess the frailty of patients with cardiovascular conditions. They found that the data was accurate and could allow them to monitor patients’ frailty remotely.

8. NHS’ sharing of patient record raises privacy concerns

As the medical landscape turns digital, we are bound to come across privacy issues; and one of the major events in 2021 came from the NHS. The latter plans to make a database containing the medical records of over 55 million patients that could be made accessible to third parties. The aim of this project is to support healthcare services, plan for relevant policies and enable research. Those requesting data access would need proper approvals and cannot be used “solely for commercial purposes”. 

Patients were also given the opportunity to opt out of the scheme earlier this year. But this understandably raised privacy concerns, given the rapidly-evolving nature of digital health.

9. Tech-focused diabetes clinic approach shows significant reduction in patients’ blood glucose level

Dubai’s GluCare Integrated Diabetes Center describes itself as the “world’s first healthcare provider to employ integrated continuous data monitoring” and the “region’s first healthcare provider to use digital therapeutics”. The institute issued the first report regarding the outcomes of its tech-focused model this year. It reported that its patients could reach an average HbA1c reduction of 1.7% points over 90 days. Such a reduction can lead to a 21% lower risk in diabetes-related end-point diseases, other studies have found.

While these are great results, the tech-focused approach should not overshadow the fact that digital health is not about giving technologies to patients, but rather about using those technologies to improve the doctor-patient relationship.

10. Multi-year study shows digital health tools help patients manage their blood pressure

Digital health is all about empowering patients with their health data and making them more proactive in managing their health, and a study published in October further backed this importance. Researchers equipped hypertensive patients with an at-home blood pressure (BP) monitor and a companion smartphone app. In addition to keeping track of their health metrics, the latter also provided advice to better manage BP. The participants were tracked for a period of 3 years, and over 85% were found to have lower BP within a year through this approach and maintain it.

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We hope this round-up of 10 of the year’s most interesting digital health news was insightful for you! By contemplating them, they can help us keep in touch with the relevant trends and challenges that are emerging from the field. If you’ve come across other exciting news, do share them with us!

Written by Dr. Bertalan Meskó & Dr. Pranavsingh Dhunnoo

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