In
June this year, it was announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
had granted UK-based OxfordVR a breakthrough device designation for its
gameChangeVR treatment to deliver immersive cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT)
to people suffering from schizophrenia and other mental illnesses. The FDA’s
breakthrough device programme is for medical devices or device-led combination
products that provide more effective treatment or diagnosis of diseases. The
aim of the programme is to expedite the development, assessment and review of
medical devices in order to provide timely access to patients and healthcare
providers.
According
to GlobalData’s Epidemiology & Market Size database, around 1.2 million
people in the UK and 2.7 million people in the US are believed to suffer from
schizophrenia, with schizophrenia spectrum disorders considered to be among the
most debilitating of mental illnesses. Schizophrenia is often treated using
CBT, but depending on the severity of the disorder, people are also prescribed
anti-psychotics to minimise delusions and hallucinations. Anti-psychotics come
with the risk of side effects such as drowsiness, agitation and blurred vision,
so virtual reality (VR) technologies that can enhance recovery without
anti-psychotics are an attractive option.
OxfordVR
uses VR headsets to simulate real-world everyday scenarios for patients that
are often associated with increased anxiety and stress. The VR headsets offer a
virtual coach that guides the patient through the scenarios using CBT methods.
This service—which is prescribed—lasts six weeks and the lessons learned during
the VR experiences are thought to translate to everyday life.
Clinical
trials of gameChangerVR have been run with both the National Health Service
(NHS) and the US veteran’s charity Wounded Warrior Project. Within the NHS
study, 346 patients with a clinical diagnosis of a schizophrenia spectrum
disorder or an affective disorder with psychotic systems were recruited for the
study, which found evidence that VR therapy reduced anxious avoidance and
distress in everyday situations. In 2020, OxfordVR secured a $12.5m Series A
funding from Optum Ventures, supported by Luminous Ventures. The investment
helped increase the growth of the company’s immersive VR therapy and was, at
the time, the largest investment funding for VR in the UK and Europe. This
follows a 2018 project supported by a £4m ($5.7m) grant by the UK National
Institute for Health Research (NIHR), which saw OxfordVR’s technology
implemented in the NHS.
As
well as OxfordVR, other companies have been experimenting with VR to treat
mental illnesses and disorders. XRHealth launched a VR therapy application in
2020 designed to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Patients receive a VR headset that offers video calls and in-app messaging with
an XRHealth clinician who works with the patient to create a personalised care
plan. And last year, EaseVRx received marketing authorisation from the FDA to
use VR-based CBT and other behavioural methods to combat pain perception in
patients diagnosed with chronic lower back pain.
The
effect on mental health caused by Covid-19, the Russia-Ukraine conflict and
other global crises has been significant and has led to greater demand for
mental health services due to heightened levels of stress and anxiety. This has
led to accelerated innovation within digital health as patients and physicians
look for alternatives to in-person care. As well as this, the influx of cases
on the strained health services during the pandemic is driving the development
of emerging technologies such as VR care to relieve pressure.
GlobalData
forecasts that digital health will continue to benefit from collaborations and
investments, and that trends in increased use of digital health innovations in
neurology and mental health such as telemental health and digital therapeutics
will continue post-Covid. In addition, as VR headsets and smart glasses become
cheaper, and as VR applications become more accessible on smartphones, digital
health technology focusing on VR has become more mainstream. Treatment
delivered this way is cost-effective and less time-consuming for both
physicians and patients compared with pharmacological interventions. VR
treatments can also retain the engaging elements of therapy due to the
immersive experience they provide.
