Weimai Attends DTA Global Members Meeting, Spearheading China's Digital Therapeutics Innovation and Submits IPO Prospectus

On June 15, the Digital Therapeutics Alliance (DTA) successfully held its semi-annual membership conference. More than 50 leading global digital therapeutics companies, including Pear Therapeutics, Akili Interactive Labs, and Omada Health, gathered to discuss the development of the digital therapeutics industry. Weimai, as one of the first Chinese enterprises to receive DTA certification, was invited to attend. Together with other member organizations, Weimai engaged in discussions on key topics such as the future direction of digital therapeutics, strategies to advance the establishment of relevant regulations and oversight mechanisms, and the development of unified international standards for the evaluation of digital therapeutics.

At the conference, Megan Coder, founder of the Digital Therapeutics Alliance (DTA), stated that against the backdrop of quarantine and social distancing measures successively implemented by countries since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic last year, digital therapeutics, as a novel healthcare solution, has garnered widespread attention from the global medical industry in recent years. Since 2017, the DTA has focused on researching the development trends of digital therapeutics worldwide. Through several years of growth, it has assembled a group of member organizations at the forefront of exploring the digital therapeutics field and, this year, admitted Chinese digital therapeutics companies, represented by Weimai, into its membership. The DTA has established working groups for North America, the European Union, and the Asia-Pacific region, and has collaborated with healthcare regulatory authorities in various countries to discuss the formulation of standards related to digital therapeutics. It aims to build its reputation globally through collaboration with scholars and researchers, and to enhance the clinical credibility of its member units and the industry as a whole through clinical trials and data support.

However, digital therapeutics (DTx) remain in their early stages on the international stage. Acceptance of the DTx industry varies across countries and regions worldwide. Even among those that have embraced digital therapeutics, review processes and standards are not unified and remain relatively traditional. For instance, in the United States, DTx products can freely choose their sales models provided they are supported by sufficient clinical data. In Germany, DTx companies primarily focus on customer segments and health plan-related matters, with a strong emphasis on clinical applications. Meanwhile, Japan and South Korea have also issued guidelines and policies related to digital therapeutics. Consequently, the Digital Therapeutics Alliance (DTA) has established collaborations with numerous international standardization organizations and core academic journals, including the American Medical Association, ISO, and APEC MED, aiming to establish a globally unified and universally applicable review framework and medical standards for digital therapeutics.

In response, Bai Yan, head of business at Weimai’s AI Digital Therapeutics Center, introduced to the association members, “China has many years of practice in internet healthcare, and already possesses the foundational infrastructure for digital therapeutics in terms of user connectivity and data dimensions. In November 2020, China’s National Medical Products Administration approved the country’s first digital therapeutic product for chronic disease management. At present, the main challenges lie in patient payment pathways and integrating digital therapeutics into existing diagnosis and treatment workflows, while validating their effectiveness through long-term follow-up. Establishing a global review framework and medical standards for digital therapeutics will play a significant role in shaping the future development of digital therapeutics in China.”

Currently, leveraging its self-developed medical-grade artificial intelligence system, Neumann AI, and the Kelinsande whole-course disease management system, Weimai has established the Weimai Digital Therapeutics Platform. The company has partnered with numerous hospitals across China to conduct digital therapeutics practices and validations in more than 30 specialized disciplines and diseases. These initiatives span multiple fields, including sleep disorders, hypertension, diabetes, autism spectrum disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and sports rehabilitation, covering the entire continuum of care from disease prevention and management to treatment.

At the conclusion of the conference, Bai Yan, Head of Business at Weimai’s AI Digital Therapeutics Center, stated that the development of digital therapeutics requires active exploration and collaboration among various stakeholders, including medical institutions, research organizations, technology-driven enterprises, and service-oriented companies. Weimai has now fully opened up its platform capabilities and channel resources through the Weimai Digital Therapeutics Platform. The company aims to partner with more digital therapeutics enterprises to jointly create digital therapeutic solutions for specific disease areas across three dimensions: prevention, management, and treatment. Additionally, Weimai is actively exploring viable approaches and pathways to introduce mature international digital therapeutics applications into China’s healthcare system, thereby contributing to the development and refinement of the domestic digital therapeutics ecosystem.