What are the different types of digital therapeutics?

There are 2 main types of digital therapeutics, monotherapy and combination therapy.

Monotherapy digital therapeutics used as a ‘standalone’ solution, are those designed to work independently of regular pharmaceuticals and in most cases are designed to prevent or treat health conditions.

In the case of pre-diabetes for example, a standalone digital therapeutic could potentially help the person enact lifestyle changes that can prevent the condition from progressing to type 2 diabetes. In this example, the digital therapeutic directly affects behaviour change without the input of pharmaceuticals or additional medical devices.

While they can be used as standalone treatments, more often, digital therapeutics are used in conjunction with more conventional treatments like pharmacological or in-person therapy (combination therapy).

They deliver their results in ways such as by helping patients better manage symptoms and side effects of treatment or helping them with taking the right dose at the right time.

For people living with insulin requiring diabetes, a digital therapeutic, such as a diabetes app with bolus functionality, will need to be used in conjunction with various types of insulin to be medically effective.