Mika Health's digital therapeutic app joins AstraZeneca and Daiichi Sankyo's 'UNITE' program for breast cancer support
Breast cancer patients in Switzerland will get access to a personalised digital therapeutic with pharmaceutical therapy
Global digital therapeutics developer Mika Health has announced that it is partnering with AstraZeneca and Daiichi Sankyo for a digital initiative to improve the experience of women receiving breast cancer treatments.
The ‘UNITE’ program, available initially in Switzerland, will incorporate Mika Health’s digital therapeutic app for cancer support and combines it with pharmaceutical therapy. Its focus will be in supporting those with breast cancer - and around 6,000 a women a year are diagnosed with breast cancer in Switzerland and around 50 men.
UNITE’s insights are also expected to shape further AI-enabled offerings to support people in additional disease areas.
“Digital therapies are becoming increasingly important in modern cancer treatment,” said Adam Nosal, Head of Oncology at AstraZeneca Switzerland.
“This partnership with Mika allows us to expand access to holistic cancer care and gain insights that will shape our broader efforts to improve therapeutic options for cancer patients.”
Personalised support for living with cancer
Mika is an evidence-based digital therapeutic proven to reduce cancer patients’ psychological distress, depression, anxiety, and fatigue, making treatment much easier to manage.
It has already supported more than 100,000 people with cancer in Germany and Great Britain.
Certified as a validated cancer treatment platform in Class IIa of the EU Medical Device Regulation (MDR) in the EU, Mika Health supports cancer patients with mental health-oriented coaching courses, AI-enabled personalised recommendations and daily symptom monitoring in an effort to increase active participation in their treatment and improve their treatment experiences.
Breast cancer patients participating in the UNITE program will use the Mika Health digital therapeutic in conjunction with pharmaceutical therapy. Patients in clinics in German-speaking Switzerland will be among the first to access support in the Mika Health app that is tailored to their treatment experience.
The project, which has been running in Switzerland since April 2024 and is supported by the EUROPA DONNA Switzerland organization and the Cancer League, will be expanded to include French and Italian-speaking regions of Switzerland.
“We are very pleased to collaborate with AstraZeneca and Daiichi Sankyo to expand access to personalized support aimed at increasing patients’ understanding, sense of control and physical and mental health,” said Dr. Gandolf Finke, founder and Managing Director of Mika Health.
“This exciting combination of evidence-based digital support and innovative drug research is a significant opportunity to improve cancer treatment experiences and increase survival rates in the leading cause of cancer death in females worldwide.”
Proven impact
Using proven therapy management methods and techniques in combination with innovative machine learning technologies, Mika aims to provide people living with cancer with improved experiences and therapy results.
The Mika Health app offers extensive information on topics such as nutrition, exercise, mindfulness and financial issues and acts as a digital therapeutic agent for depressive moods and exhaustion.
In a randomized clinical trial, depressed mood decreased by 42 percent and chronic fatigue decreased by 23 percent compared to the control group.
"As a company that puts the well-being of patients at the center of its activities, we are very pleased to partner with Mika,” said Giuseppe Grossi, Country Manager of Daiichi Sankyo Switzerland.
“In today's digital world, it is increasingly important to be innovative in promoting solutions that improve the quality of life of people with cancer and help to achieve better treatment outcomes. Supporting the Mika app is a concrete example of the progress we want to promote in cancer treatment and beyond."