Digital News

The Digital Medicine Society (DiME) has released a new set of open-access resources to advance the use of nocturnal scratch in the treatment of atopic dermatitis (AD), according to Pharma Phorum.

Nocturnal scratch aims to offer “new ways of measuring night-time scratching, using new digital tools to improve measurement of this distressing facet of AD.”

Kerry Capozza, Founder and Executive Director of Global Parents for Eczema Research explains, “There’s no easy solution, unless the eczema can be treated and brought under control”.

As it stands, no new medical product has been approved on the basis of a digital endpoint. DiMe has collaborated with founding partners Abbvie, Janssen, Novartis, Pfizer, and UCB, along with project collaborators Advancing Innovation in Dermatology, Almirall, Eli Lilly, GSK, Leo Pharma, and Sanofi. DiMe hopes nocturnal scratch will enact a shift in understanding, leading to industry alignment and acceptance.

Nocturnal scratch’s widespread implementation aims to establish a firmer digital groundwork for future clinical research, technology development, and reimbursement decisions in the dermatological field, therefore improving the lives of AD patients and caregivers.

The open-access resources were developed over a period of nine months, based on a mixedmethods study and comprehensive literature review, a series of workshops and focus groups with payers, as well as meeting with regulators.

It is anticipated that this will serve as a “blueprint for the broader development and deployment of digital endpoints in medical product development.”