Hot on the heels on being granted a US patent for pain assessment invention last month, Australia-based PainChek, developer of the world’s first smart phone-based pain assessment and monitoring app, has received regulatory approval from Singapore’s Health Sciences Authority (HSA) for the use of the PainChek app in the market.

PainChek has also entered a two-year license agreement with Singapore-based aged care provider, Allium Healthcare (Allium). The aged care provider is the developer and operator of Allium Care Suites, first purpose-built premium 129 bed nursing home, scheduled to welcome its first resident later this year. 

Allium also operates two other day care facilities, Allium Care Studio, which also provide personalised home care services for older persons who prefer being treated at home. Under the first phase of the agreement, Allium will utilise PainChek across all these facilities on the standard PainChek license terms.

THE LARGER TREND

According to the 2015 Well-being of the Singapore Elderly (WiSE) study led by Singapore’s Institute of Mental Health in 2015, one in ten people aged 60 and above may have dementia. This translates to almost 82,000 people in 2018 and the number is expected to exceed 100,000 in a few years’ time.

PainChek is on track to obtain United States FDA De Novo regulatory clearance in 2020. The De Novo process provides a regulatory pathway for PainChek to market the adult version app in the U.S. In addition, the company is completing national filings for the same patent in Australia, China, Europe, Japan and the United Kingdom.

ON THE RECORD

“We provide personalised and dignified care to our clients and explore evidence-based technology that can help us achieve that goal better and more accurately,” said Allium Healthcare’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr Bernie Poh in a statement. 

“The PainChek App provides us with the capability to better assess and quantify our clients’ pain levels so that we can enhance their treatment plans. We also see great opportunity to work with PainChek as part of our integrated care offering across our nursing home, day care centres and home care services, especially for older persons living with dementia and communication difficulties,” he added.

PainChek’s Managing Director, Mr Philip Daffas believes this agreement, a first entry for PainChek into Singapore, can be a platform for the broader Asian markets, where there is a large ageing population.

“We have recently received clearance for PainChek from Singapore’s regulatory body. This is a great first step into the market with Allium Healthcare,” said Mr Daffas.

“Many people in Asia living with dementia have a desire to remain living at home and often have good family support. The PainChek Shared Care programme will provide the capability for Allium to provide accurate pain assessments across the continuum of care and help those people live life the way they want to.”