The digital healthcare corporation Emocog announced on the 23rd that its mild cognitive impairment (MCI) digital therapeutic device 'Cogthera' has received approval from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety for product registration. Consequently, it will be available for prescription at hospitals and clinics following the Ministry of Health and Welfare's announcement of innovative medical technology.
This is the seventh digital therapeutic device approved by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. It is the first digital therapeutic device for the treatment of mild cognitive impairment to receive approval in the country.
Cogthera is a digital therapeutic device aimed at patients with mild cognitive impairment aged 55 to 85, which can be utilized upon a specialist's prescription. The goal is to alleviate cognitive decline early or delay its progression through a cognitive intervention therapy software using a mobile app.
Mild cognitive impairment refers to a state where an individual can maintain daily life but shows significant decline in cognitive functions such as memory. There is a high risk of progressing to dementia, thus it is considered a precursor to dementia. Early non-pharmacological intervention during this stage is crucial.
Cogthera provides personalized cognitive training tasks for 12 weeks for patients in the early stages of cognitive decline, stimulating key cognitive areas such as memory, concentration, and language ability. Medical professionals can use a dedicated web dashboard to monitor patients' training history and adherence in real time.
Cogthera was developed based on research results from the team of Lee Joon-young, a professor of psychiatry at Seoul National University and co-CEO of Emocog. It is based on the metamemory theory, enabling users to recognize the memory processing process and self-regulate and train cognitive strategies such as concentration, association, and linking.
Lee Joon-young, co-CEO of Emocog, said, 'Cogthera will be a decisive turning point that changes the direction of the domestic digital therapeutic device market,' adding that 'its significance is substantial as it is the first digital therapeutic solution to demonstrate a tangible effect in delaying cognitive decline, rather than merely managing symptoms.'