Monsenso has signed an agreement with Awakn Life Sciences, a global biotech company

Monsenso has signed an agreement with Awakn Life Sciences, a global biotech company

by | Nov 9, 2021 | Addiction, Depression, News, Pharma

Monsenso has signed an agreement with, a global biotech company, to support the company’s medical psychedelic treatments. Awakn Life Sciences is a global biotech company that leads the field of psychedelic medicine for the treatment of addiction. In October 2021 commenced the implementation of the Monsenso Digital Health Solution in Awakn Life Sciences clinical practice as a tool for supporting patients throughout their treatment while capturing real-world patient insights to inform clinical decision-making and personalised treatment.

Mental illness and addiction are some of the biggest public health challenges facing the global community.

Nearly one billion people worldwide suffer from mental illness, for which there are too few effective treatments available beyond coping strategies and treating symptoms. With global spending on mental health estimated to reach $16 trillion by 2030 (as measured by lost economic output)[1], it is critical that effective new treatments are developed to address the current gaps. Psychedelic-assisted therapy has emerged as a potential solution to this treatment vacuum. In the early 20th century, these substances were severely restricted and had a negative connotation. Today, however, a growing body of evidence and urgent unmet patient needs have led clinicians and regulators to consider them as a viable treatment option.

Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy represents a paradigm shift in psychiatric treatment

Psychedelic drugs are substances that alter perception and mood and affect various cognitive processes. When used in conjunction with psychotherapy, they can put patients in a temporary state where they can better process memories, emotions, and past traumas[2], allowing for processing that enables subjects to let go of things that have previously troubled them[3]. For the same reason, psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy has shown effective in treating historically difficult-to-treat illnesses[4] and is today considered a promising game-changer in psychiatric treatment[5,6,7].

While psychedelics have spurred great interest in the life science industry, only a few psychedelic companies are currently treating patients in the clinical setting. Awakn Life Sciences launched the UK’s first psychedelic-assisted clinic in Bristol, followed by London and Manchester, offering evidence-based psychedelic therapies for addiction and other mental health indications, and has also opened a clinic in Oslo, Norway with plans to scale across Europe quickly.

In October 2021, Awakn Life Science commenced implementation of the Monsenso Digital Health Solution in its clinical practice to support patients throughout their treatment journey and to capture real-world data to inform clinicians’ decision making for personalised patient support and management.

“We are excited to work with Awakn Life Science to support new treatment options for people who have experienced insufficient treatment results. We look forward to partnering with Awakn Life Sciences and be part of their growth journey” says CEO of Monsenso, Thomas Lethenborg.

Awakn’s CEO, Anthony Tennyson added “There’s such a critical need to provide solutions and hope to people suffering from mental illnesses and addiction. We’re excited to partner with Monsenso to better engage with clients throughout their treatment, gain insights to help inform clinical decisions and improve health outcomes, and generate insights that inform our research and treatment development programs”.

About Awakn Life Sciences 
Awakn Life Sciences is a publicly-traded (NEO: AWKN) (OTCQB: AWKNF) biotechnology company with clinical operations; researching, developing, and delivering psychedelic medicine to better treat Addiction. Awakn’s team consists of worldleading chemists, scientists, psychiatrists, and psychologists who are developing and advancing the next generation of psychedelic drugs, therapies and enabling technologies to treat Addiction.

About Monsenso
Monsenso is an innovative technology company offering a digital health solution used for decentralised trials, remote patient monitoring and treatment support. Our mission is to contribute to improved health for more people at lower costs by supporting treatment digitally and leveraging patient-reported outcomes data. Our solution helps optimise the treatment and gives a detailed overview of an individual’s health through the collection of outcome, adherence, and behavioural data. It connects individuals, carers, and health care providers to enable personalised treatment, remote care, and early intervention. We collaborate with health and social care, pharmaceuticals, and leading researcher worldwide in our endeavours to deliver solutions that fit into the life of patients and health care professionals. To learn more visit  www.monsenso.com.

For additional information contact:
Bettina van Wylich-Muxoll
Chief Marketing Officer
marketing@monsenso.com
Monsenso

Sources:

[1] https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/10/mental-health-day-covid19-coronavirus-global/

[2] https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/back-to-the-future-psychedelic-drugs-in-psychiatry-202106222508

[3] Jennifer Mitchell, neuroscientist and professor in the departments of neurology, psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the University of California San Francisco.

[4] Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy: A Paradigm Shift in Psychiatric Research and Development

[5] https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/back-to-the-future-psychedelic-drugs-in-psychiatry-202106222508

[6] https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/a-renaissance-for-psychedelics-could-fill-a-long-standing-treatment-gap-forpsychiatric-disorders/

[7] Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy: A Paradigm Shift in Psychiatric Research and Development

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Using apps for mental health

Using apps for mental health

by | Aug 9, 2016 | Blog, mHealth

Using apps for mental health was written by Ross Campbell, Chief Underwriter of Research & Development based in Gen Re London.

It was originally published on the Gen Re blog  and it is  © published with the permission of General Reinsurance AG 2016.

Improved awareness and recognition of mental health problems and their complexity puts pressure on health systems to increase care. This stimulates exploration of the potential value of software applications (apps) run on mobile devices. The ubiquity of smartphones makes them an ideal tool for apps that can help individuals manage mental health.

Apps create long-term patient health data in a way that episodic clinic consultations cannot. They generate a personal health record fundamentally different from a clinical patient record [1]. Doctors have much to gain from the comprehensive and detailed information gathered by this form of continuous monitoring. Insurers can also benefit from the potential of this technology, especially for claims.

Apps for mental health can monitor physiological cues associated with sleep disturbance, anxiety, depression, phobias and psychosis. For example, depression is associated with a fall in activity levels – less exercise, movement and fewer social interactions. Sensors in smartphones can help spot patterns of altered behaviour that may represent the early warning signs of lowered mood.

Some apps for mental health can even help diagnose problems. Others help people track and manage mood using self-assessment techniques augmented by coaching functionality. Online environments are a gateway to support from more specialist clinical resources. The resources allow patients more control of their mental health management while enabling clinicians to monitor and support them remotely.

Some other apps for mental health can also help with treatment by sending reminders about medication or appointments, regardless of the person’s location. And they can provide distraction from cravings or link with social networks at times of stress. This “nudging” is effective at altering behaviour; for example, integrating text messaging in smoking cessation programmes improved six-month cessation rates by 71% compared to the regular treatment [2].

However, work remains to be done before apps can integrate with insurer’s processes. The confidentiality and use of personal data generated and stored by apps is complicated and needs clarification. The accuracy and sufficiency of information is a potential concern while hardware constraints may limit potential. More evaluation of the impact of digital technology is needed in research and clinical practice. [3]

Meanwhile, insurers could engage with emerging providers of software solutions. Services like these will, over a relatively short time horizon, become highly influential in the lives of people living with mental health problems. Pilot schemes that compare current insurance methods while evaluating new ones would take us one big step forward.

Click on the links to learn more about the Monsenso mHealth solution mental health consisting on a smartphone app for individuals, carers and a web portal for clinicians.

To view the original post click on this link: http://www.genre.com/knowledge/blog/can-apps-set-the-mood-for-managing-mental-health-en.html

  1. Marley, J. and Farooq, S., (2015) Mobile telephone apps in mental health practice: uses, opportunities and challenges, The British Journal of Psychiatry (2015), 39, 288-290, doi: 10.1192/pb.bp.114.050005.
  2. Whittaker, R. et al Mobile phone based interventions for smoking cessation. Chochran Database Systematic Review. 2012;11. CD006611. Doi:10.1002/14651858.CD006611.pub3.
  3. Hayes, JF., Maughan, DL., Grant-Peterkin, H. (2016) Promotion of mental health and prevention of mental disorder in the digital age, The British Journal of Psychiatry (2016) 208, 205–207. doi: 10.1192/bjp.bp.114.161067.