Apollo Neuroscience Initiates IRB-Approved Clinical Trial Series to Understand Effectiveness of the Apollo Wearable for Treatment of PTSD

PITTSBURGH--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Apollo Neuroscience^TM, makers of the first scientifically-validated wearable that improves the body’s resilience to stress, is running an IRB-approved clinical trial with the support of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), a nonprofit sponsoring the most advanced clinical trials of a psychedelic-assisted therapy. The purpose of this study is to understand how the Apollo Neuro™ proprietary wearable touch therapy device impacts long-term outcomes following MDMA-assisted therapy in people with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Apollo is a wellness wearable device that helps improve sleep, relaxation, focus, and recovery by toning the nervous system, giving you more control over how you feel and your overall health. Interestingly, Apollo Neuro is the first technology with an issued patent to mitigate uncomfortable and undesirable experiences associated with medicine-assisted therapy (including psychedelic medicines and traditional medicines).

Worn on either the wrist, ankle, or clipped to clothing on any other part of the body, the Apollo wearable works by engaging with your sense of touch, like a wearable hug, delivering silent, soothing vibrations that help you feel safe and in control. Apollo Neuro’s scientifically validated technology trains your nervous system to bounce back from stress more quickly, making it easier to go from “fight or flight” to “rest and digest.”

Through years of clinical practice and research, Dr. Dave Rabin, MD, PhD, Board-Certified Psychiatrist, Neuroscientist, and Co-Founder/CIO of Apollo Neuroscience, found that patients with treatment-resistant mental health conditions, including PTSD, experienced substantial improvements when they were in calm, safe environments. Dr. Rabin and his colleagues also observed promising responses to therapeutic touch, empathic listening, and music in both the lab and clinical settings, along with reduced feelings of stress and anxiety. An evaluation of the published scientific literature confirmed these observations in over 100 scientific publications over the last few decades. After years of research in the Department of Psychology & Psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh, these insights and learnings were developed into the Apollo wearable; a device that improves the body’s resilience to stress by sending gentle vibrations to the body that signal safety to the brain.

The Apollo wearable draws our attention to an undeniable link between stress, trauma and the human need to feel safe. Preliminary data from ongoing clinical trials of the Apollo technology have been very promising, including in research subjects with PTSD. The Apollo wearable has been found to improve sleep while reducing feelings of anxiety, low mood, and irritability, and helps build an emotionally-nurturing sense of safety and connection that the user can take with them.

Two more large clinical trials evaluating the Apollo wearable in PTSD patients are currently underway and recruiting participants. The first at the Rocky Mountain VA in Denver, CO, and the second, a nationwide trial, evaluating the Apollo wearable to sustain remission from PTSD following MDMA-assisted therapy. This second trial is open to anyone who has participated in a MAPS trial of MDMA-assisted therapy. To check your eligibility to participate, click here.

“We’ve seen tremendous results with the Apollo wearable in thousands of traumatized individuals and those who have participated in psychedelic-assisted therapy thus far,’' said Dr. Rabin. “Some of the most promising responses were in people receiving ketamine-assisted therapy, particularly those new to psychedelic medicines or who have a lot of anxiety in anticipation of new experiences. We care about the outcomes, and anything we can do to help people stay in remission or feel better for longer periods of time is a big win for our field. We are very much looking forward to seeing how the Apollo wearable will contribute to the integration period following MDMA-assisted therapy.”

“Maximizing patient outcomes means exploring options for people to continue the healing and integration process after the course of MDMA-assisted therapy is complete,’' said Rick Doblin, Founder and Executive Director of MAPS. “That’s where the Apollo wearable comes in. One of the advantages the Apollo wearable may provide is to help regulate a person’s emotional response when they’re no longer in the clinic, but in the real world, facing real-life stressors. It gives people frequent non-verbal reminders of the things they learn in the treatment. The Apollo wearable is the first technology to be tested in a clinical trial by these MAPS study subjects. We’re pleased to support the option for MDMA-assisted therapy study participants to try the Apollo wearable once the long-term follow up has been completed.”

About Apollo Neuro

Apollo Neuroscience is pioneering a new category of wearable technology that actively improves health, using touch therapy to promote stress resilience, sleep, focus, recovery, and more. Worn on the wrist, ankle, or attached to your clothing as a clip, Apollo Neuro™’s scientifically validated technology delivers gentle vibrations to the body that restore balance to the nervous system. By harnessing our natural response to soothing touch, the Apollo™ wearable is a simple, unobtrusive tool that delivers the benefits of mindfulness, without effort on the part of the user. The result? Less stress, more sleep. Less fatigue, more focus. The Apollo wearable is safe and non-invasive for adults and children alike. Developed by physicians and neuroscientists, the Apollo wearable has been tested in multiple studies and clinical trials and is proven to improve heart rate variability (HRV), a key biometric of stress resilience. For more information, visit apolloneuro.com.

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