Roche and Temedica Pilot Digital Companion for MS Patients

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Germany’s Temedica and Swiss pharma giant Roche have teamed up to develop a new mobile app companion for multiple sclerosis patients. The device is designed to deepen understanding of the disease based on real-world data gained from MS patients.

The mobile app, dubbed Brisa, has been designed to help patients record their disease progression regardless of condition and treatment plans. It is also created to recognize changes in the disease progression actively. At the same time, it provides new motivational incentives for the patients. 

Roche and Temedica hope the app, which is free for users, will help MS patients have a better understanding of their disease and also help them improve their quality of life. Brisa's motto is "Your tailwind for an independent life with MS".

"Temedica has developed Brisa in cooperation with Roche to empower MS patients to take control of and manage their own health through continuous information and support. The app combines scientific expertise and digital technology and is a unique tool for people with MS to help them improve their quality of life,” Gloria Seibert, founder and chief executive officer of Temedica said in a statement. 

Not only does the Brisa app track symptoms of the disease, but it also provides for the collection of individualized health data. That includes activity levels, sleep patterns and dietary habits. The collection of data leads to personalized therapy support with individualized recommendations based on the analysis of the recorded data. 

Seibert added that the two companies have a mutual goal of improving the quality of life of MS patients while advancing disease research.  

“Brisa has the potential to reach a large number of people with MS and support them individually throughout the course of their daily lives,” she said.

Carola Burns, Roche’s Medical Lead of Neuroscience, also stated that digital technologies help advance medical progress and provide a more effective personalized treatment for individual patients. Harnessing the capabilities of digital technology is a means to improve the treatment of patients and their quality of life while at the same time deepening the understanding of multiple sclerosis.

“We are delighted that we have found an innovative partner for this in Temedica,” Burns added. 

Roche developed Ocrevus, the first therapy approved for relapsing multiple sclerosis. Three years ago, the pharma giant also snapped up a regenerative therapy program for multiple sclerosis from Inception Sciences. The program is being assessed as a potential therapy for remyelination of nerve fibers damaged during the progression of multiple sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis is a disease of the central nervous system that is estimated to affect 2.3 million people across the globe. In MS, the disease causes the immune system to attack the myelin sheath, which is the insulation and support around the nerve cells in the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves. This attack causes inflammation and consequent damage. Currently, Brisa is only available in Germany, where it is estimated that there are 240,000 MS patients.