Takeda and Cognition Kit Present Results from Digital Wearable Technology Study in patients with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD)

CAMBRIDGE, England, and DEERFIELD, Illinois, Nov. 17, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Takeda and Cognition Kit today announced that the companies will present results from MDD-5003, a pilot study to evaluate cognitive and mood assessment data using an Apple Watch wearable in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) during the 2017 CNS Summit Meeting in Boca Raton, FL to be held on Nov 16-19, 2017.

The prospective observational study involved 30 participants, aged 18-65, with a clinical diagnosis of mild to moderate depression who have been prescribed antidepressant monotherapy for MDD. The study had two co-primary objectives: to evaluate feasibility and participant compliance on measures of mood and cognition on wearable technology; and to compare measures of mood and cognition on wearable technology using traditional neuropsychological testing and patient reported outcomes on depression symptoms at 6 weeks. Participants were provided with an Apple Watch on which brief cognitive and mood tests were administered daily.

The researchers observed that patients were compliant with the wearable device on a daily basis to evaluate mood (95 percent) and cognition (96 percent). The study also demonstrated that abbreviated daily assessments delivered through the wearable device corresponded with objective Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB) cognitive tests and full-length patient reported outcomes, PHQ-9 and PDQ-D, assessed during weeks 1, 3 and 6. No adverse events were reported in the study.

"We are delighted that people living with MDD engaged with Cognition Kit on the Apple Watch so well," said Ben Fehnert, Director at Cognition Kit. "We remain focused on our mission to understand mental health through regular interactions with mobile and wearable technology and to put that information into the hands of patients, researchers and healthcare professionals."

"This initiative is an excellent example of the pilot work being done at Takeda to build a body of evidence for new ways of measuring outcomes in mental health. Technology may allow us to create real time objective measurements for assessing effects in depression that could transform patient care by increasing our ability to estimate clinical conditions and support earlier engagement between the patient and clinician. We are encouraged by the study results and look forward to learning more about the intersection of technology and healthcare," said Nicole Mowad-Nassar, vice president, external partnerships, at Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A.