Application and Development Trends of Digital Therapeutics in Chronic Disease Management: The 2023 World Digital Therapeutics Conference – Forum on Digital Therapeutics and Chronic Disease Management Successfully Concluded

Digital therapeutics, as an intervention for the prevention, management, and control of diseases, are increasingly recognized within the industry for their clinical value. As a supplement to and optimization of traditional therapies, digital therapeutics not only provide patients with personalized and customized treatment plans but also offer healthcare professionals more opportunities for innovative practice, thereby contributing valuable data to improve clinical outcomes and support clinical research. By delivering more convenient and personalized healthcare and disease management services to patients, digital therapeutics are rapidly integrating and co-evolving with the field of chronic disease management.

On August 25, 2023, hosted by Beijing Danhuang Technology Co., Ltd., organized by Chongqing VCBeat Technology Co., Ltd. and Hainan Danhuang Technology Co., Ltd., with support from the Digital Therapeutics Committee of the China Association for Medical Device Industry, the UK Department for Business and Trade, and the Australian Trade and Investment Commission, and in strategic partnership with AstraZeneca Investment (China) Co., Ltd. and Hainan Eco-Software Park2023 World Digital Therapeutics ConferenceConcluded successfully at the Hilton Haikou Meilan Hotel in Haikou, Hainan.

The Main Forum Held in the AfternoonDigital Therapeutics and Chronic Disease Management Forum, Founder and CEO of Langye MedicalShen Yekicked off under the auspices of , with in-depth sharing on topics such as full-cycle management, digitalization and artificial intelligence applications, and exploration of model innovation. Distinguished guests attending the forum included the Dean and Professor of the School of Public Health at Zhejiang UniversityXi-Feng Wu, Chair Professor of the Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of ChinaWeng Jianping, Second-Class Professor/Doctoral Supervisor, Department of Nephrology, Peking University Third HospitalWang Tao, Executive Director of Commercial Innovation for Cardiovascular, Renal, and Metabolism, Digital & Business Innovation Department, AstraZeneca ChinaWang Jian, Vice President of JD.com and General Manager of the Technology and Product Department at JD HealthLi Xin, Digital Strategy Scientist and CIO of Yunnan Baiyao Group, General Manager of Yunnan Baiyao Smart TechnologyLi Shaochun, Vice President of Hengrui Yiduoyun and Head of Digital TherapeuticsSu Li, CEO of Xuzhishi TechnologyKangcheng, Marketing Director of Zhizhong MedicalMao Liwei, Business Director of Luca HealthcareMeng Xiangyu.

Host: Shen Ye | Founder and CEO of Langye Medical

Big Data to Full-Cycle Human Health Management

Xi-Feng Wu | Dean and Professor, School of Public Health, Zhejiang University; Vice President, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine; Executive Dean, Chen Tinghua College of Big Health, Zhejiang University; Director, National Institute for Health and Medical Big Data, Zhejiang University

Ms. Wu Xifeng mentioned that her team is currently leading the construction of the “Healthy Zhejiang Million-Person Cohort” project, striving to build a world-class, domestically unique high-capacity platform for public health and general healthcare innovation. The aim is to leverage this platform to advance the development of new technologies, methods, and systems for disease prevention, diagnosis, treatment, prognosis, and health management across the entire care continuum. Additionally, Dean Wu introduced ongoing cohort-based research initiatives, including: developing comprehensive health profiles for the entire population across the full life course through intelligent integration of multi-source data; identifying novel biomarkers; investigating the relationships between modifiable risk factors—such as diet, physical activity, sleep, and psychological well-being—and diseases; conducting environmental health studies based on exposomics; addressing challenges posed by population aging; and enhancing smart public health governance capabilities through multidisciplinary collaboration.

Reflections on and Development of Digital Diabetes Care

Weng Jianping | Chair Professor, School of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China

Mr. Weng Jianping believes that although China has a large population of patients with diabetes, the prevailing epidemiological trends are unlikely to be reversed in the foreseeable future. Digital technology offers the possibility of personalized health management. Professor Weng is collaborating with iFlytek to establish a Joint Laboratory for Digital Health, dedicated to developing digital solutions for diabetes. However, digital health faces new challenges related to concepts and ethics, necessitating enhanced awareness, the establishment of new regulatory frameworks, and the cultivation of specialized talent. In the future, it is hoped that digital technology will improve the efficiency of health management and foster a more equitable doctor-patient relationship.

Chronic Disease Management Models in the Era of Intelligence

Wang Tao | Second-Level Professor/Doctoral Supervisor, Department of Nephrology, Peking University Third Hospital; Jointly Appointed Professor, Institute for Global Health Development, Peking University

Mr. Wang Tao stated that the core of chronic disease management lies in strengthening specialty departments at county- and district-level hospitals. To enable top-tier experts to support primary care providers, specialized disease alliances should be established. Nurses, acting as coordinators, leverage digital health tools for patient management. Comprehensive patient health records should be created to facilitate information sharing. By integrating medical, public health, and social resources, digital platforms can support supervised shared decision-making at the grassroots level, thereby promoting effective chronic disease management.

Focus on Therapeutic Areas + Digitalization: Establishing an End-to-End Disease Management Model

Jian Wang | Executive Director, Cardiovascular, Renal & Metabolism Commercial Innovation, Digital and Business Innovation Department, AstraZeneca China

Mr. Wang Jian stated that AstraZeneca is committed to supporting the development of integrated in-hospital and out-of-hospital diagnosis and treatment solutions through digital healthcare innovation, while expanding coverage to various channels that enhance patient accessibility, such as pharmacies. Furthermore, we support leveraging digital technologies to improve screening and diagnostic rates, developing digital rehabilitation programs, and collaborating with healthcare institutions to establish chronic disease management centers that enhance patient adherence through information technology. We also aim to drive related industries to form a closed-loop community management system, and we look forward to exploring the application of digital technologies in chronic disease management together with partners across different regions.

AI-Driven Telemedicine + New Model for Chronic Disease Management

Li Xin | Vice President of JD.com, General Manager of the Technology and Product Department at JD Health

Li Xin stated that in the field of digital therapeutics, JD Health has collaborated with multiple medical institutions to conduct a series of clinical trials and application studies, and has participated in numerous major scientific research projects. To date, it has filed more than 30 invention patents, covering areas such as dermatology, sleep disorders, mental health, and diabetes. Notably, JD Health’s independently developed products for “skin image processing” and “sleep monitoring data processing” obtained Class II Medical Device Certificates from the National Medical Products Administration in July 2023. Currently, JD Health is actively promoting innovative practices in intelligent chronic disease management and building an industrial ecosystem for digital therapeutics.

Digital Therapeutics and Digital-Intelligent Pharmaceutical Innovation in the Era of Large Language Models

Li Shaochun | Digital Strategy Scientist, CIO of Yunnan Baiyao Group; General Manager of Yunnan Baiyao Smart Technology

Mr. Li Shaochun elaborated on the application of large language model (LLM) technology in the healthcare and pharmaceutical sectors, as well as its significance for the continuous digital transformation of pharmaceutical enterprises. He highlighted Yunnan Baiyao’s innovative layout in orthopedics and traumatology, citing examples of digital therapeutics and digital healthcare practices in trauma care and rehabilitation. These initiatives include the development of risk assessment models for trauma patients to enhance the efficiency and quality of trauma treatment, as well as the creation of full-lifecycle digital therapeutic applications for postoperative orthopedic rehabilitation, thereby delivering a patient-centric technological experience. In the era of big data and large models, enterprise digital transformation plays a crucial long-term role in corporate management, operational optimization, and sustained innovation.

Digital Therapeutics Innovation Solutions: Empowering Patients with Precision Management

Su Li | Vice President of Hengrui Yiduoyun, Head of Digital Therapeutics

Ms. Su Li also introduced on-site tools designed to assist primary care physicians in diabetes diagnosis and treatment, including risk assessment for diabetic patients, recommendations for precision diagnosis and treatment plans, and personalized health education for diabetic patients. Tools aimed at improving patient awareness and adherence include data source adherence analysis; a multivariate, high-accuracy predictive model for adherence among hypertensive patients; extraction of key features influencing treatment adherence in hypertensive patients; identification of intervention directions to improve treatment adherence in hypertensive patients; the inverse relationship between dropout rates and prescription duration among hypertensive patients; and multifactorial analysis of dropout rates in hypertensive patients.

Application of Digital Therapeutics in Chronic Brain Diseases

Kang Cheng | CEO of Hangzhou Xuzhishi Technology Co., Ltd.

Mr. Kang Cheng believes that, by integrating AI technologies, products can leverage recommendation algorithms and deep learning algorithms to create personalized treatment plans for individual patients, thereby harnessing the advantages of technology in enhancing efficiency and effectiveness. Existing clinical studies have demonstrated that XR training can improve patients’ cognitive abilities, alleviate depression, and enhance memory status. Currently, Xuzhishi’s products are being used in hundreds of leading hospitals across China, generating a substantial usage database, primarily within the departments of psychiatry, neurology, and pediatrics. Meanwhile, Xuzhishi has launched highly functional digital humans, which, through continuous clinical validation, have enabled the establishment of specialized databases, addressing challenges such as manpower shortages and imprecise diagnoses.

Exploration of Digital Full-Course Management for Diabetes

Mao Liwei | Marketing Director, Shanghai Zhizhong Medical Technology Co., Ltd.

Mr. Mao Liwei believes that by establishing independent chronic disease management scenarios, integrating data from both inside and outside hospitals, and building a national chronic disease management network, digital therapeutics can be utilized to improve patient adherence and enable remote diagnosis and treatment. By reaching deep into grassroots levels and addressing the digital divide, this approach will benefit a broad patient population and promote the widespread adoption of standardized chronic disease management. In the future, in coordination with Hainan’s three-tier collaborative diabetes management system, we will delve deeper into the patient care journey to establish a comprehensive screening-assessment-education-follow-up management system, providing combined online and offline physician training and patient education.

Digital Target Technology Drives the Upgrade of the Big Health Industry

Meng Xiangyu | Business Director, Luca Healthcare

Luca is dedicated to leveraging highly accessible data to build medical solutions centered on digital biomarker technology, supporting clinical drug trials and extending these achievements into post-marketing digital companion services, thereby providing healthcare services to industries such as online healthcare, physical examinations, and wellness care. Mr. Meng Xiangyu elaborated on the process of digital biomarker technology, from data acquisition and establishing disease associations to the development of medical models, enabling precise diagnosis and chronic disease management. This technology can be applied to the screening, monitoring, and rehabilitation of respiratory, cardiovascular, and neurological diseases, facilitating personalized medicine. It provides pharmaceutical companies with digital clinical endpoints while offering patients comprehensive, whole-course health services across multiple conditions.