[DTx Asia] "Digital Therapeutics, the Second Wave is Coming... Personalized Treatment Will Become Possible"

'The 1st DTx Asia' Held in Seoul
World's Largest DTx Event 'DTx East' Sister Event
Korea Expected to Become a Global DTx Hub

"Expecting Reduction in Medical Costs and Addressing Unmet Needs of Existing Therapies"
"DTx Will Be the Solution to Severe Medical Inequality in Asia"

On the 8th, the "1st DTx Asia" is being held at the Novotel Ambassador Hotel in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. / Photo by Lee Chun-hee

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Chun-hee] Interest in digital therapeutics (DTx) is rising domestically, with expectations that the 'first approved digital therapeutic' will be released within this year in South Korea. Reflecting this trend, an event diagnosing the current state and future of the DTx industry, held for the first time in the Asia region, took place in Seoul.

On the 8th, the '1st DTx Asia' was held at Novotel Ambassador in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. The two-day event from the 8th to 9th is the Asia regional sister event of 'DTx East,' the world's largest annual DTx event centered in the eastern United States, and is being held for the first time this year. Additionally, 'DTx West,' centered in the western U.S., and 'DTx Europe' are held annually.

On the 8th, Kim Ju-young, head of Welt's US branch and chairperson of the event, delivered the opening remarks at the 1st DTx Asia held at Novotel Ambassador Hotel in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. / Photo by Lee Chun-hee

DTx Asia adopted the theme 'Establishing Digital Therapeutics in the APAC Markets.' Originally, the first DTx Asia was scheduled to be held in Singapore, but the venue was later changed to Seoul. This is expected to be an opportunity for South Korea to establish itself as a hub in the continuously growing DTx industry in Asia. Christopher Goi, Executive Director of the organizer Graygreen, explained, "The venue was changed to Seoul due to South Korea's large-scale budget allocation for DTx and the recent plan to include digital health in insurance coverage."

The chairs of this event are Kim Ju-young, co-chair of the Asia-Pacific Working Group of the World Digital Therapeutics Alliance (DTA) and head of Welt's U.S. branch, and Abhishek Shah, CEO of Welsh Therapeutics. In his opening remarks, Chair Kim stated, "In August 2020, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety presented guidelines for DTx, and the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service will announce guidelines for DTx insurance coverage within this year," expressing expectations for the growth of the domestic DTx industry.

Digital Therapeutics, the Second Wave... Individualized Predictive Treatment Will Become Possible

In the keynote discussion on the first day, global DTx leaders including Chair Kim Ju-young, CEO Abhishek Shah, Megan Coder, Chief Policy Officer (CPO) of DTA, and Sarah Jackson, Director of Click Therapeutics, gathered to assess the current state of the DTx industry.

Chair Kim said, "While the first wave of digital therapeutics presented standard treatments for everyone, now the second wave is coming," and predicted, "Individualized predictive treatment will become possible through patient-specific data." He also advised, "In terms of scalability, attention must be paid to changes in language and cultural contexts during overseas expansion."

On the 8th, a keynote discussion took place at the 1st DTx Asia held at the Novotel Ambassador Hotel in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. Megan Corder, DTA CPO; Abhishek Shah, CEO of Welsh Therapeutics; Juyoung Kim, Head of Welt's US branch; and Sarah Jackson, Director of Click Therapeutics (from left). / Photo by Lee Chunhee

Coder, CPO, emphasized, "When I was studying pharmacy, no one said that patients could be treated with software," and stressed, "We must prove that Software as a Medical Device (SaMD) can truly help patients." She also added, "To enter regulation and commercialization of DTx, it is necessary to clearly define and classify DTx."

Director Jackson explained the strengths of DTx by saying, "It is possible to spend less on treatment costs for specific diseases," while emphasizing, "The ecosystem of the DTx field still needs to be developed, such as converting traditional pharmaceuticals into DTx." CEO Shah also said, "Many DTx are currently expanding through combination with traditional treatments," adding, "This can address the unmet needs of people with chronic diseases."

Asia, with Severe Medical Inequality, is Optimal for DTx Market Expansion

In the second keynote discussion, moderated by Chair Kim, discussions continued on the expansion potential of DTx in the Asia region with Christopher Wasden, Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) of Twill, Louis Payet, Head of Mergers & Acquisitions at Zulik Pharma, Arbinder Singal, CEO of Peterfly, and Chen Kaishen, CEO of Sinocore.

CEO Chen defined the current state of DTx as a 'boom.' He said, "During the COVID-19 pandemic, patients and doctors connected digitally, confirming clinical benefits," and added, "This led to active capital investment and increased interest in technologically promising companies."

CEO Singal called this the 'future.' Referring to India's situation with increased mobile usage, the rising importance of patient monitoring, and the surge in patients with metabolic diseases, he explained, "Considering these factors, adoption of mobile technology is essential," and said, "Patients can participate in their own treatment, and doctors can save time, so DTx is the path forward."

On the 8th, a keynote discussion took place at the 1st DTx Asia held at the Novotel Ambassador Hotel in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. From left to right: Kim Ju-young, Head of Welt US Corporation; Qian Kaixian, CEO of Sinocore; Arvinder Singal, CEO of Peterfly; Christopher Wasden, CSO of Twill; Luis Faye, Head of Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) at Jullic Pharma. Photo by Lee Chun-hee

Additionally, Head Payet analyzed, "DTx can solve medical accessibility issues in Indonesia, Vietnam, and other countries," and said, "From this perspective, Asia alone represents a huge market of about 70 million people."

They also agreed that different national circumstances must be considered during overseas expansion of DTx. CSO Wasden said, "Each country has different healthcare systems, mechanisms, and infrastructure," and added, "Overseas expansion is only possible with partners." Head Payet also said, "Although Korea and Japan are only about an hour and a half apart by plane, they have completely different healthcare systems," and stated, "Considering these differences, partnerships must be sought to enter large markets such as the U.S. and Europe."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.