Faces of Digital Health Tjasa Zajc

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) brings together six Arab countries – Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates 
When one reads about the GCC countries, there’s nothing but the impression of prosperity: high investments, determination, and enthusiasm in tech-supported healthcare. 
The spending on healthcare by the GCC governments is on an astronomical rise. From a regionwide US$2.4 billion in 2016, it rose to more than US$30 billion in 2021 and is projected to surpass US$104 billion this year, according to a report from the UAE Ministry of Economy. 
In this episode, Pilar Fernandez Hermida International Go-to-Market expert with 20+ years of experience launching sales & partner ecosystem strategies, talks about the potential of the Middle East and MENA region for healthtech companies, the culture in the Middle East, how to interpret different style of communication here, what are the common entrepreneurial misconceptions, and where to find opportunities. Pilar says that the entrepreneurial spirit here is 10-times as strong as in the US, and that biotech and drug development are the next thing to watch for in the region.


www.facesofdigitalhealth.com
Newsletter: https://fodh.substack.com/
Show notes:

[00:02:00] Pilar Fernandez Hermida, an expert in healthcare market strategies, shares insights from Abu Dhabi.

[00:04:00] Analysis of the healthcare infrastructure development in GCC post-pandemic.

[00:08:00] The role of expats in the Middle East's healthcare transformation.

[00:10:00] Public-private partnerships as key opportunities.

[00:12:00] Cultural considerations for startups in the GCC.

[00:14:00] Misconceptions about the Middle Eastern healthcare market.

[00:18:00] Building long-term relationships in business.

[00:20:00] Navigating diverse cultural communication in healthcare.

[00:24:00] Comparing the entrepreneurial spirit in the Middle East with the U.S. and Europe.

[00:28:00] Strategic advice for healthcare entrepreneurs targeting the GCC.

[00:30:00] Importance of understanding regulations and digital maturity in MENA.

[00:32:00] Future potential in biotech and digital health in the GCC.

[00:36:00] The convergence of digital health and biotech.

In the last few years, we've witnessed a whirlwind of developments in the world of Digital Therapeutics (DTx) - from FDA approvals sparking optimism for the industry, to the establishment of regulatory frameworks in countries like Germany, France, and Belgium.
However, in 2023, the industry faced a stark reality check, marked by the fall of some key players and healthcare systems' hesitancy towards embracing and financing these innovations. This turbulence has reshaped strategies and raised critical questions about the future of DTx.
🔍 In this episode learn more about:
📊 The current state of the DTx industry in 2024,
🗣️ Key debates of digital therapies industry players,
🌐 Advocacy efforts pushing the boundaries for global adoption,
🚀 Strategies to accelerate the integration of digital therapies worldwide.

Newsletter: fodh.substack.com
Website: www.facesofdigitalhealth.com

Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) have become increasingly integral in healthcare for assessing the effectiveness of treatments from the patient's perspective. It sounds like a reasonable step in improving clinical research and care provision, but gathering data can be more difficult then you may think. It isn't easy to get to marginalized communities. There are language barriers in collecting data. There are cultural aspects that impact responses. So, how can you design useful electronic solutions for patient-reported outcomes? Hear from Mustafa Ali Syed, Researcher at the Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, The University of Manchester, and Ben James, Co-founder/Chief Design Officer at uMotif - ePRO, an engagement platform designed to power clinical and real-world research. Both are co-authors of a recently published paper titled Exploring the Cross-cultural Acceptability of Digital Tools for Pain Self-reporting.

www.facesofdigitalhealth.com
Newsletter: https://fodh.substack.com/

Show notes:
00:00:00 Why Do PROs Matter?
00:04:00 Evolution of Data Collection
00:06:00 Importance of Diversity in Clinical Trials
00:08:00 Ethnicity, Culture, and Pain Perception
00:12:00 The Role of Technology in PROs
00:14:00 Designing Inclusive Digital Solutions
00:20:00 Challenges in Engaging Targeted Populations
00:22:00 Language and Communication Barriers
00:26:00 The Future of PRO Research

Did you know that Belgium has had an idea for classifying and validating digital therapeutics since 2018? A clear framework was formed with all main stakeholders involved - from health insurance to the industry. So why are we not hearing more about DTx in Belgium? In this discussion you will hear from Dr. Steven Vandeput -  he is the Advisor for Digital MedTech and Services & Technologies Home Assistance in Belgium; he is managing the mHealthBelgium portal and, since 2019, has been a representative for beMedTech, the sector federation that represents the industry of medical technologies in Belgium. 
Website: www.facesofdigitalhealth.com
Newsletter: https://fodh.substack.com/

Show notes:
00:00 - Introduction
01:45 - Digital Therapeutics in Belgium
03:50 - Belgium's Healthcare Framework Development
06:00 - The Validation Pyramid and Reimbursement System
08:00 - Fate of Pilot Projects and Their Impact
10:00 - Utilization of mHealth Belgium Portal
12:00 - Challenges in Reimbursement and Financing
14:00 - Prospects for Digital Therapeutic Companies
16:00 - Belgium's Approach to Financing Digital Health
18:00 - Anticipations for the Digital Health Field
20:00 - The Evolving European Frameworks
22:00 - Impact of Political Decisions and Healthcare System Integration
24:00 - The Future of mHealth Belgium Platform

The field of oncology treatments is advancing very fast with innovative therapies and approaches on the market every day. It can get very tricky to support these therapies from an IT perspective, which is what you will hear more about in this discussion. I spoke with Anish Patankar, SVP and GM of Elekta’s Oncology Software Solutions, and we discusses:

How to go about the US hospital market, 

Development in software for oncology treatments,

Challenges in scaling healthcare IT software across markets. 


Newsletter: https://fodh.substack.com/
www.facesofdigitalhealth.com

Show notes:
[00:00:00] Introduction to Elekta
[00:02:00] Elekta's Global Presence
[00:04:00] US Market Focus
[00:06:00] Growth in Developing Countries
[00:08:00] Segmentation and Technology Adoption in the US
[00:10:00] Untapped Needs and Opportunities in the US
[00:12:00] Elekta's Use of AI
[00:14:00] Patient Feedback and Clinical Decision Making
[00:18:00] Navigating Legacy Software in Healthcare IT
[00:20:00] Modernization and Customer Satisfaction
[00:22:00] Global Standardization and Regulation Challenges
[00:24:00] Interoperability and Open Ecosystem
[00:26:00] Future of Oncology Market Development: the interplay between medications and radiation, and the potential of theranostics.
[00:28:00] Exciting Technologies in Healthcare Beyond Oncology: personalized healthcare, digital twins
[00:30:00] Cautions for the Future: The critical debate on the balance between innovation speed and safety, particularly with generative AI.

In 2023, Insilico Medicine—a biotech company developing medications with a heavy reliance on AI—used AI to develop an experimental drug for the incurable lung disease idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. The treatment is in mid-stage trials in the US and China, with some results expected in early 2025.
Biotech is one of the fields that has been using generative AI for years, even before ChatGPT brought the technology to public view.
Latest technology is essential in drug development. However, the convergence of digital health and pharma seems less clear. Digital health apps started gaining popularity around 2015, and at that time, it seemed all pharma companies were trying to figure out what they could gain from apps, so they financed accelerators and incubators one after the other.
We've seen many ideas about how Pharma should or could use digital health.
In the last few years, there have been many notorious cases when partnerships failed—a seemingly unicorn, Proteus, which designed digital sensors-equipped pills, went bankrupt in 2019 after Otsuka Pharmaceuticals pulled out of a funding round. Pear Therapeutics, the guiding star in the DTx space and the leader in FDA-cleared prescription digital therapeutics, partnered with Novartis, but in the end, the company filed for bankruptcy in 2023. So where is Pharma in relation to digital health and digital therapeutics? In this episode, Amir Lahav shares his thoughts about the impact of AI on biotech, the state of decentralized clinical trials, and the potential of technology for improved drug development, clinical trials, and patient responses.

Newsletter: https://fodh.substack.com/
www.facesofdigitalhealth.com

Show notes:
[00:02:00] The Convergence of Digital Health and Pharma

Discussion on the role of digital health apps in pharmaceuticals.

The rise and fall of pharma and tech company partnerships, with examples like Proteus and Peer Therapeutics.

[00:06:00] AI Trends in Biotech and Pharma
[00:08:00] Enhancing Clinical Trials with AI and continuous patient monitoring
[00:10:00] The Importance of Data in Clinical Trials
[00:12:00] The Reality of Oncology Trials and Endpoints
[00:14:00] Quality of Life in Medicine as the Endpoint
[00:16:00] The Rise of Decentralized Clinical Trials
[00:18:00] Pharma's Evolving Digital Health Strategies
[00:22:00] Impact on Digital Health Industry
[00:24:00] Collaboration and Sharing Knowledge in the Pharma Industry
[00:26:00] The need for long-term investment and strategic piloting of digital health solutions
[00:28:00] What Inspires in Pharma and Biotech in Personalized Treatments
[00:30:00] The State of Precision Medicine and Targeted Therapies
[00:34:00] The Role of Pharmacogenomics
[00:36:00] Anticipations for 2024 and Beyond