February 16, 2023 11:42
A smartphone app treating insomnia has been approved by the government in the first-ever case of a digital device being approved for medical purposes.
The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said on Wednesday that a program called Somzz developed by healthcare company Aimmed has been authorized as the first-ever digital treatment for sleep disorder.
The app helps people improve their living habits in a six to nine-week regime, offering feedback and suggestions along the way.
Somzz can only be downloaded after a doctor's diagnosis.
The ministry hopes to expand the number of digital treatments to handle ADHD, depression and alcoholism by 2027.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has authorized several digital treatments since the first of its kind -- reSET, a drug-treatment app developed by Pear Therapeutics -- was made available in 2017.
- Copyright © Chosunilbo & Chosun.com