Better is focused on developing new treatments that use software to change the behaviors that are the root causes of these conditions.
SAN FRANCISCO (PRWEB) March 19, 2019
Today, Better Therapeutics, a company developing prescription digital therapeutics for the treatment of severe cardiometabolic diseases, announced the publication of its latest peer-reviewed clinical study titled Achieving Rapid Blood Pressure Control With Digital Therapeutics: Retrospective Cohort and Machine Learning Study, in the Journal of Medical Internet Research.
“With more than $100 billion spent annually on prescription drugs to treat the consequences of type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and high cholesterol, Better is focused on developing new treatments that use software to change the behaviors that are the root causes of these conditions. The company’s software is intended to be prescribed by primary care providers on a standalone basis or alongside pharmaceuticals, and contribute significantly to relieving the health and economic burden of disease caused by behaviors,” said Kevin Appelbam, CEO.
In this 12-week, IRB-approved study of 172 adults with hypertension using Better’s digital therapeutic, blood pressure reduction was clinically meaningful and achieved rapidly in a majority of the studied participants. Greater improvement was observed in participants with more severe hypertension at baseline.
- Baseline systolic blood pressure was 138.9 mmHg (95% CI 136.6-141.3), and diastolic was 86.2 mmHg (95% CI 84.8-87.7)
- Mean change was –11.5 mmHg for systolic blood pressure and –5.9 mmHg for diastolic blood pressure over a mean of 62.6 days, a degree of reduction associated with a 40% lower risk of death from stroke and 30% lower risk of death from ischemic heart disease
- Among participants with stage 2 hypertension, mean change was –17.6 mmHg for systolic blood pressure and –8.8 mmHg for diastolic blood pressure
- At 12 weeks, 43% of the participants had achieved the 2017 American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association definition of blood pressure control (<130/80)
The research article is freely available on the Internet at cardio.jmir.org/2019/1/e13030.
According to the American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association, 46% of US adults have hypertension, or high blood pressure. High blood pressure is the leading contributor of preventable death worldwide and is due, in large part, to poor quality diets and sedentary lifestyles. Despite the array of antihypertensive medications available for the past several decades, only half of those with hypertension have well controlled blood pressure.
In addition to pharmacotherapy, clinical guidelines in the United States and worldwide call for the initiation of behavioral therapy focused on diet and lifestyle for all patients with hypertension, because it is known that lifestyle changes can effectively reduce blood pressure while improving other cardiovascular risk factors, without negative side effects. However, there are currently few prescription solutions available to physicians for initiating behavioral therapy in patients.
“By developing clinically-validated, FDA-cleared digital therapeutics for the treatment of cardiometabolic diseases like hypertension, our aim is to provide physicians new prescription therapies that fill a gap in current clinical guidelines”, said Dr. Mark Berman, Head of Health at Better Therapeutics.
About Better Therapeutics
Better relieves the burden of disease caused by behaviors using digital therapeutics that treat serious cardiometabolic diseases. By integrating elements of neuroscience, lifestyle medicine, and artificial intelligence, the company has created a new modality for treating a broad range of conditions that share common root causes. The company’s digital therapeutics have been validated in peer-reviewed and published clinical trials. Better is beginning to commercialize with health plans, while pursuing FDA clearance to its first prescription digital therapeutic in diabetes. The company is headquartered in San Francisco, CA, and has business operations in Boston, MA, and Nashville, TN.