Digital therapeutic Somryst reduces insomnia severity, health-related services

The digital therapeutic Somryst, which delivers cognitive behavior therapy for insomnia, induced a significant decrease in insomnia severity after 9 weeks, researchers reported in ClinicoEconomics and Outcomes Research.

“Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) is recognized as first-line treatment for patients with chronic insomnia as recommended in guidelines from professional organizations in Europe, Australasia and the United States,” Yuri A. Maricich, MD, MBA, chief medical officer and head of development at Pear Therapeutics, and colleagues wrote. “A major factor hampering the delivery of CBT-I to patients in need is the shortage of mental health providers and board-certified behavioral sleep medicine specialists. ... Prescription digital therapeutics (PDTs) can overcome these barriers by delivering evidence-based disease treatments asynchronously.”

Maricich and colleagues conducted a retrospective analysis and included 248 patients with insomnia (mean age, 56.5 years; 57.3% women; baseline mean insomnia severity score, 19.13), who initiated use of Somryst (Pear Therapeutics) between June 2016 and October 2018. After 9 weeks, mean insomnia severity scores dropped by 37.2% (19.1 to 12), 58.8% of patients achieved score improvement of greater than 7, and 26.6% achieved insomnia remission (score < 8).

“These real-world data underscore the potential clinical utility and durable economic benefit of a prescription digital therapeutic like Somryst among people with chronic insomnia,” Maricich said in a company release.

Additionally, researchers reported a reduction in health care services over 24 months of Somryst use compared with the pre-treatment, 24-month period: Emergency department visits declined by 53% (incidence rate ratio = 0.47; 95% CI, 0.27-0.82), as well as hospitalizations by 21% (IRR = 0.79; 95% CI, 0.46-1.35) and hospital outpatient visits by 13% (IRR = 0.87; 95% CI, 0.66-1.14). The number of patients treated with sleep aid medications also dropped by 18.5%.

Further, this reduction in health care facility use led to a savings of $2,059 per patient after 24 months, according to the study.

“In the last 24 months, lack of sleep has been exacerbated by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and can greatly impact not only day-to-day activities, but also overall quality of life and long-term health,” Maricich said. “Now, it’s especially important to examine digitally delivered treatment options that can address the underlying issues of chronic insomnia.”

Reference:

Pear Therapeutics announces publication of new analysis of real-world data showing reduction in insomnia severity, health care resource utilization and associated costs in adults using Somryst. https://peartherapeutics.com/pear-therapeutics-announces-publication-of-new-analysis-of-real-world-data-showing-reduction-in-insomnia-severity-healthcare-resource-utilization-and-associated-costs-in-adults-using-somryst/. Published Aug. 11, 2022; Accessed Aug. 11, 2022.