Persistent attention issues have a significant impact on the daily lives of millions of people. Today Akili announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted clearance for EndeavorRxTM (AKL-T01) as a prescription treatment for children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Delivered through a captivating video game experience, EndeavorRx is indicated to improve attention function as measured by computer-based testing in children ages 8-12 years old with primarily inattentive or combined-type ADHD, who have a demonstrated attention issue.
Attention impairments are a key component of ADHD for many children yet are often overshadowed by more overt symptoms of ADHD.
EndeavorRx was reviewed through FDA’s de novo pathway and its clearance creates a new class of digital therapeutics. EndeavorRx is designed to directly target and activate neural systems through the presentation of sensory stimuli and motor challenges to improve cognitive functioning.
“We’re proud to make history today with FDA’s decision,” said Eddie Martucci, Ph.D., chief executive officer of Akili. “With EndeavorRx, we’re using technology to help treat a condition in an entirely new way as we directly target neurological function through medicine that feels like entertainment. Families are looking for new ways to help their children with ADHD. With today’s decision by FDA, we’re excited to offer families a first-of-its-kind non-drug treatment option and take an important first step toward our goal to help all people living with cognitive issues.”
EndeavorRx was granted clearance based on data from five clinical studies in more than 600 children diagnosed with ADHD, including a prospective, randomized, controlled study published in The Lancet Digital Health journal, which showed EndeavorRx improved objective measures of attention in children with ADHD. After four weeks of EndeavorRx treatment, one-third of children no longer had a measurable attention deficit on at least one measure of objective attention. Further, about half of parents saw a clinically meaningful change in their child’s day-to-day impairments after one month of treatment with EndeavorRx; this increased to 68% after a second month of treatment. Improvements in ADHD impairments following a month of treatment with EndeavorRx were maintained for up to a month.
“For children living with ADHD, improving their ability to focus and resist distraction is critical to their daily functioning and performance in school,” said Elysa Marco, M.D., cognitive and behavioral child neurologist and Clinical Executive for Neurodevelopmental Medicine at Cortica Healthcare. “Unlike traditional ADHD medications, EndeavorRx is designed to specifically target inattention. Based on the benefits my research participants and patients have experienced, I am thrilled that EndeavorRx is moving from the lab to the clinic to play an essential role as part of a comprehensive treatment plan for children with ADHD.”
The EndeavorRx treatment will be available with a prescription to families soon. Akili believes that cognitive impairments require the same constant attention and care as with any other chronic condition. EndeavorRx will be released as the centerpiece of the Endeavor Care Program, which includes the EndeavorRx treatment and Akili Care,TM a mobile tracking app and personal support services for caregivers. Easily accessible from home, EndeavorRx is downloaded from the App Store by families on their mobile devices and does not require any additional equipment.
“The clearance of EndeavorRx marks the culmination of nearly a decade of research and development and was fueled by the commitment of our team and collaborators to challenge the status quo of medicine. This would not have been possible without the dedication of our clinical research partners and hundreds of families who gave their time and energy to participate in our clinical trials,” said Scott Kellogg, senior vice president of medical devices at Akili.
EndeavorRx is built on the Akili Selective Stimulus Management engine (SSMETM) core technology, a proprietary technology designed for the targeted activation of specific neural systems in the brain to treat diseases with associated cognitive dysfunction. SSME presents specific sensory stimuli and simultaneous motor challenges designed to target and activate the neural systems that play a key role in attention function while using adaptive algorithms to personalize the treatment experience for each individual patient. This enables second by second monitoring of patient progress completing the treatment sessions, and continuously challenges each patient to an optimized level, encouraging patients to improve their performance. Driven by the core belief at Akili that effective medicine can also be fun and engaging, EndeavorRx is delivered through an action video game experience. The captivating experience of EndeavorRx is designed to drive engagement and compliance.
—Jennifer Swartvagher
Featured photo: Akili
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