SteadyMD, AmerisourceBergen partner for pharmacy telehealth and more digital health briefs

Global healthcare company AmerisourceBergen has announced a strategic partnership with business-to-business telehealth provider SteadyMD, beginning with the companies cocreating and piloting a telehealth offering for independent community pharmacies dubbed Test to Treat.

The Test to Treat model allows individuals to be tested for an illness or condition at an independent pharmacy and then consult with a SteadyMD physician if needed, to receive a prescription for treatment.  

The initiative was initially launched in 2022, focusing on COVID-19 testing and treatment. The pilot program will evaluate the model’s long-term viability for use cases beyond COVID and occur within 130 independent retail pharmacies over 12 weeks. 

Additionally, AmerisourceBergen’s venture fund, AB Health Ventures, announced it invested in SteadyMD, though financial terms were not disclosed. 

“The Test to Treat initiative is an important acknowledgment of the role of pharmacists and pharmacies as accessible healthcare providers and destinations,” Jenni Zilka, senior vice president of good neighbor pharmacy field programs and services at AmerisourceBergen, said in a statement.

“In order for pharmacies to continue making a sustainable impact on the communities they serve, we need to continue providing them the tools, resources, and authority to provide necessary clinical services, where appropriate.”

Pharma company Boehringer Ingelheim and digital therapeutic company Click Therapeutics announced the initiation of a clinical trial called CONVOKE Study, which will evaluate the use of prescription digital therapeutics as an adjunct treatment for schizophrenia. 

The randomized trial will include 432 participants and compare prescription digital therapeutics to the standard of care using antipsychotic therapy over the course of 16 weeks. 

Efficacy will be gauged using the Clinical Assessment Interview for Negative Symptoms, Motivation and Pleasure scale (CAINS-MAP), which measures the researchers’ clinical target of interest–experiential negative symptoms.  

“Enrolling the first patient in this schizophrenia registrational trial marks a significant step forward in our mission to develop innovative therapies for patients suffering from serious mental illnesses,” Han Chiu, chief technology officer of Click Therapeutics, said in a statement. “Together with Boehringer Ingelheim, we are excited about advancing this program and improving outcomes for patients in need.”

Boehringer Ingelheim and Click Therapeutics first partnered in 2020, then expanded their collaboration in 2022, all while focusing on developing and commercializing prescription digital therapeutics for schizophrenia.

Akili Interactive, maker of a video game-like prescription digital therapeutic for children with ADHD, dubbed EndeavorRx, announced positive results of its clinical trial on the efficacy and safety of its offering among 221 adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. 

The trial revealed that after six weeks of treatment with Akili’s FDA-cleared product, EndeavorRx, adult participants had more than 80% improvement in attention functioning. More than one-third of these adults no longer showed signs of attention deficit following treatment.

Additionally, improvement was significantly larger in adults than what was seen during a study performed on EndeavorRx’s effects on adolescents with ADHD, which was published in January. 

“These data come at a critical time when there is growing demand among adults with ADHD for safe, effective and accessible non-drug treatments. It is increasingly recognized that current available options are not working and/or are not available. We are deeply committed to getting this treatment to patients as quickly as possible. We are evaluating regulatory strategies and look forward to sharing more soon,” Dr. Scott Kollins, chief medical officer of Akili, said in a statement.