Therapeutic software firm acquires digital programs for depression treatment

Pear Therapeutics Inc. has acquired and licensed two digital therapeutics, intending to integrate them into its own plans to enhance treatment of a wide range of conditions related to depression.

According to a press release, Pear intends to incorporate these assets, one from Waypoint Health Innovations LLC and the other from Örebro University researcher Fredrik Holländare, into Pear’s depression product candidate, which will require clinical evaluation before final submission to the FDA.

“The addition of these depression assets to our portfolio fits squarely in our near-term focus to expand our leadership in psychiatry,” Pear Therapeutics President and CEO Corey McCann said in the release. “With these deals, we have the potential to optimize our depression [prescription digital therapeutic] candidate to help address one of the largest patient populations in mental and behavioral health.”

The program from Waypoint is a digital therapeutic designed for treatment of depression based on cognitive behavioral therapy techniques. It provides CBT using standardized symptom assessments, video, interactive tools and algorithms that can serve each patient’s experience.

The Holländare program involves internet-based CBT to address any residual symptoms of depression and is aimed at preventing relapse. The treatment centers around nine different units, including an introduction to CBT and depression and two modules on behavioral activation, as well as elements regarding cognitive restructuring, sleep and relaxation, mindfulness, physical activity, anxiety reduction and defining long-term therapeutic goals. Holländare’s module has been the subject of a published, preliminary clinical study but has yet to undergo submission to the FDA for review.