UCB and Huma Therapeutics collaborate on digital health solution to improve rare disease management
pharmafile | April 26, 2023 | News story | Medical Communications |
Digital health company Huma Therapeutics and biopharmaceutical company UCB are partnering to offer a digital technology solution to aid patients with Myasthenia gravis (MG). MG is a rare, long-term condition which causes muscle weakness, notably in the muscles which control the eyes and eyelids, facial expressions, chewing, swallowing and speaking.
The platform is founded on Huma’s EU MDR class 2b regulated Software as a Medical Device (SaMD) and will provide patients with access to MG-specific educational materials and the ability to report and track symptoms over time.
This data will be tracked on the MG-Activities of Daily Living Scale (MG-ADL) and shared with clinicians through a dashboard, which will allow them to detect exacerbated symptoms and intervene when necessary. This will achieve the companies’ goals of supporting proactive clinical decision-making and should improve patient experience.
Dan Vahdat, CEO and founder of Huma, said, “There has been a huge growth in drug development for rare diseases and creating treatments for this population requires a greater degree of personalisation, which is exactly what our digital health platform provides. Our new classification of class 2b level regulation means that we can work more collaboratively and in a shorter time frame with our pharma partners to launch solutions with predictive algorithms that can have a major impact for patients at the individual level, that’s why our approach is revolutionary. We’re excited to partner with UCB and be able to bring benefit to rare disease patients again, which is where we began when the company launched over a decade ago.”
Charl van Zyl, executive vice president Neurology and head of Europe/International Markets at UCB, said: “UCB is working to enable people with rare diseases to live the best life that they can. Symptoms of MG can vary greatly and each person experiences the disease in a uniquely personal way. We believe that innovations in digital health solutions can offer the necessary personalised support, education and resources for each patient.”
James Spargo
