FDA approves first prescription video game

The FDA approved Akili Interactive's prescription-grade video game EndeavorRx (AKL-T01) for ADHD treatment for 8-12 year olds, the first medical video game to open up a pathway for approval for electronic therapiesThe approval was based on clinical trials of more than 600 people using an approval channel called De Novo for reviewing low-risk medical devicesThe main driver of this approval may be the low side effects, and in fact the product has been on the market for monthsAs for the efficacy manufacturers themselves say is not enough to replace standard therapiesADHD is a very common disease, and there are 4 million children in the United States between the ages of 6 and 11 who count as ADHDOf course, some people think that this can not be counted as disease, is the pharmaceutical industry in order to sell drugs to sell disease is a typical exampleNow the treatment is a number of central neurotransmitter analog, inevitably have side effectsVideo game kids are happy, overused and beaten, just don't know what the addictive test data all drugs have to doIt may seem odd that video games are approved by the FDA, but they can be promoted by doctors and programmed into doctors' treatment sediviasThis is similar to prescription-grade health care products such as fish oil strategies, and prescription-grade video game pricing is said to refer to the same therapeutic drug pricesthe reduction theory of new drug discovery has been questioned by many people, biological simplification is not chemical, chemical simplification is not physicsHuman disease sane nature, by changing a single part can treat a limited number of diseasesHuman brain disease is particularly complex, more than a decade ago someone proposed systems biology as an entry point, popular, but through video games to change the nature of the system reached a whole new levelEndeavorRx is designed to train your child to handle several events at the same time, enhancing concentrationThere are various examples in life that suggest that the brain and other organs can be changed through training, such as that most sports skills require long-term repetitive trainingNot only does muscle memory really exist, such as if you can still be proficient in operating the technique that takes time to learn even if you don't ride a bike for more than a decade, but the brain can also trainBehavioral therapy and meditation meditation are common treatments, and film grading is also a way to prevent brain development the discovery of such therapies is clearly a big difference from traditional drugs How to spot a precursor is the first challenge, which may require a doctor's clinical experience Optimizing a therapeutic game is not easy, how to predict two games before phase three clinically which is more likely to succeed? Animal models are certainly useless and must be cycled in clinical trials The choice of indications also lacks scientific support and will rely mainly on trial and error So the development costs of this type of therapy can be high, but the rewards are not necessarily reliable One is how the product is protected, the game changes too much Of course, how to imitate may be a bigger problem, because the definition of optimization indicators is vague Second, the doctor's understanding and acceptance of this kind of therapy, the payment department how to look at it is also to be seen Despite the doubts, the FDA's regulatory innovation and the courage of electronics companies to stir up health are still worthy of praise the emergence of new things always brings new hope While many diseases such as tumors are not suitable for this type of treatment, common diseases such as depression and pain may benefit from it, but the entire research and development system requires a lot of work to build up Electronic therapy can also draw on the experience of traditional drug development, such as precision therapy for a disease subtype, to address the tolerance of substitute products While traditional drug discovery support systems are the most robust, we also need to prevent the misconception that we're going to go to the best places in the light to find the lost key Many disease treatments are really not suitable for the mainstream idea of single-target regulation, and top-down new treatments may bring new vitality.