Germany-based digital therapeutics platform Mika Health has partnered with AstraZeneca and Daiichi Sankyo, to improve the experience of women receiving breast cancer treatments.
The partnership will launch a digital initiative, dubbed UNITE, to improve patient care and is anticipated to shape AI-enabled offerings to support people in additional disease areas.
Mika Health platform supports cancer patients with mental health-oriented coaching courses, AI-enabled personalised recommendations, and daily symptom monitoring.
The breast cancer patients participating in the UNITE program will use the Mika Health digital therapeutic, together with pharmaceutical therapy.
Patients in clinics in German-speaking Switzerland will initially get access support in the Mika Health app, which is customised to their treatment experience.
Mika Health founder and managing director Gandolf Finke said: “We are very pleased to collaborate with AstraZeneca and Daiichi Sankyo to expand access to personalized support aimed at increasing patients’ understanding, sense of control and physical and mental health.
“This exciting combination of evidence-based digital support and innovative drug research is a significant opportunity to improve cancer treatment experiences and increase survival rates in the leading cause of cancer death in females worldwide.”
Mika leverages proven therapy management methods and techniques in combination with innovative machine-learning technologies.
The platform aims to provide people living with cancer with improved therapy results.
It offers extensive information on topics such as nutrition, exercise, mindfulness, and financial issues and serves as a digital therapeutic agent for depressive moods and exhaustion.
In a clinical trial, Mika app decreased depressed mood by 42% and chronic fatigue by 23% compared to the control group.
The UNITE initiative has been active in Switzerland since April this year, supported by the EUROPA DONNA Switzerland organization and the Cancer League.
It is planned to be expanded into the French and Italian-speaking regions of Switzerland.
AstraZeneca Switzerland oncology head Adam Nosal said: “This partnership with Mika allows us to expand access to holistic cancer care and gain insights that will shape our broader efforts to improve therapeutic options for cancer patients.”
Daiichi Sankyo Switzerland country manager Giuseppe Grossi said: “As a company that puts the well-being of patients at the centre of its activities, we are very pleased to partner with Mika.
“In today’s digital world, it is increasingly important to be innovative in promoting solutions that improve the quality of life of people with cancer and help to achieve better treatment outcomes.”
