O Yu-kyung, Director of MFDS, "Hope Digital Therapeutic Devices to Overcome Drug Addiction Come Out Soon"

DTx Supporting Drug Addiction Rehabilitation
Digital Healthcare Company UbiPlus in Development

"I hope that a digital therapeutic device (DTx) that can help teenagers quit drugs through a mobile phone application (app) like a friend will be released as soon as possible. These days, when I see teenagers carrying their phones from morning until they sleep, I thought it would be a great help if drug addiction could be treated and rehabilitated through this."

Oh Yu-kyung, Commissioner of the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety

On the 20th, Oh Yu-kyung, Commissioner of the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, said this at the 'Chungcheong Region Drug Addiction Rehabilitation Center' opened in Daejeon. On the same day, Netburn, chairman of the United States' largest drug treatment and rehabilitation institution, 'Samaritan Daytop Village,' was also present at the center. Commissioner Oh said, "The recidivism rate of drug offenders is 35%, which is much higher than crimes such as theft and violence," adding, "Crackdowns alone are not enough, and the government needs to pay more attention to treatment and rehabilitation." In particular, the age group that accounted for the largest proportion of drug offenders was originally in their 40s, but after COVID-19, when people spent a lot of time alone, in 2021 and last year, it dropped to people in their 20s. The proportion of teenagers was 2.6% last year, more than five times higher than 0.6% in 2017. This is why Commissioner Oh has consistently emphasized since last year that "people in their teens and twenties are the protagonists who will lead the country" and that "support for rehabilitation of drug addicts is important."

Amid the increasing trend of drug offenders in Korea, the country has focused only on punishment for drug addicts, so programs for treatment and rehabilitation have been insufficient. As DTx emerged as a major item in the digital healthcare industry after COVID-19, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety sought ways to treat and rehabilitate drug addiction in collaboration with experts from industry, academia, and research last November. Accordingly, in April, DTx for drug addiction and rehabilitation was selected as a cross-government medical device research and development (R&D) project, and the digital healthcare company 'UbiPlus' is currently developing it.

UbiPlus aims to release a DTx for drug addiction rehabilitation in 2025. To this end, it collaborates with several domestic hospitals, including Hallym University Chuncheon Sacred Heart Hospital. This year, it plans to complete the development of cognitive behavioral therapy content for drug addiction prevention and produce a prototype. Clinical trials must also be conducted. This stage involves seeking improvements through feedback from medical staff and drug addicts regarding the therapeutic effects of use. A UbiPlus official said, "Considering the period for Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval, clinical trials are expected to begin around September next year."

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety expects that with the development of DTx, customized rehabilitation programs can be provided according to drug type and patient age group. A social rehabilitation system linking the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, drug addicts, medical staff, and the Korea Drug Prevention Headquarters will be established.

DTx is currently expected to be utilized as a treatment and rehabilitation program at three drug addiction rehabilitation centers in Seoul, Busan, and Daejeon. Netburn, chairman of Samaritan Daytop Village, said, "In the United States, where the drug addiction problem preceded Korea, I witnessed addicts repeatedly taking drugs and being caught by the police," and added, "Drug addiction should not be viewed only from a criminal perspective but from a treatment perspective. We will assist the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, which recognizes the importance of rehabilitation, to help the people of the Republic of Korea maintain social, economic, and cultural values."

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