Copenhagen-based digital health company Dawn Health announced a strategic partnership with pharma giant Novartis to develop a chronic condition management platform. 

Under the collaboration, Dawn and Novartis will build remote monitoring and management tools for chronic conditions where they see an unmet need and concerns around disease progression, like multiple sclerosis, hypertension, cardiovascular disease and breast cancer.

The platform will include patient mobile apps, symptom monitoring, digital biomarkers, clinical decision support services and virtual clinic offerings geared toward specific diseases and conditions. 

Daniel Daugaard, Dawn's founder and CEO, told MobiHealthNews that healthcare systems are stressed by large aging populations and the prevalence of chronic conditions seen in many countries.

"The more we can move the triaging and monitoring of patients into their homes, and the more we can empower the patients to make the proper decisions and to really give them the toolbox to take control, the better we can actually leverage the efficiency of the healthcare system that is in place today by targeting the patients who are most in need," he said.

THE LARGER TREND

Founded in 2016, Dawn announced a $25 million Series A raise in late 2021. Chronic condition management is a big focus for digital health companies, and conditions like diabetes, heart disease and cancer drive a large portion of healthcare costs in the U.S. and Europe. 

A number of digital health players have also established partnerships with pharmaceutical companies. Late last year, Click Therapeutics announced it was expanding its partnership with Boehringer Ingelheim to develop another prescription digital therapeutic for patients with schizophrenia. Click has also worked with Otsuka Pharmaceutical on a PDT for major depressive disorder. 

Digital chronic condition management company DarioHealth partnered with Sanofi U.S. last year to speed the adoption of its platform, while both MedRhythms and Twill, formerly Happify Health, collaborated with Biogen on tools for multiple sclerosis patients. 

Daugaard said that digital health products allow pharma companies to augment their offerings, and give patients tools to manage their disease. Healthcare providers can offer treatments more efficiently, and payers can monitor potential cost savings. 

"That is also pushing pharma to become more ambitious about the digital world," he said. "Taking their core offerings, the medicine and the device, and then bundling that with digital therapeutics, digital medicine, remote monitoring, data, real-world evidence. And it is the combination of this ecosystem that is driving the competitiveness, which ultimately comes from improved patient outcomes."