FDA BLESSES CHRONIC PAIN VR DEVICE:
EaseVRx combines a headset, controller and “breathing amplifier” to direct deep-breathing sessions. Over an eight-week program, consisting of 56 virtual reality sessions, patients combine 3D sessions and cognitive behavioral therapy techniques to reduce pain. A randomized study of 179 patients found 66 percent reported a 30 percent-or-greater reduction in pain. Those results were largely sustained after three months of follow-up, the FDA said.
The burgeoning sector launched in earnest in June 2020, when the FDA approved a video game meant to treat ADHD patients. More and more apps — some FDA-approved, some not — have joined them; Snezana Mahon, COO of Transcarent, told Future Pulse some 290,000 digital therapeutics exist.
Researchers believe using video games, virtual reality, and other similar products can immerse patients and potentially change their habits or frames of mind.