Pfizer and its Sidekick snare a new approval

Several big pharma groups have signed up to work with developers of prescription apps, but these partnerships have a way of dissolving before – or sometimes just after – the software reaches market. Not so for Sidekick Health and Pfizer: the deal the two entered in the summer of 2020 yesterday yielded its fourth launched product, an app to aid the management of atopic dermatitis. The Icelandic group specialises in gamified apps, using computer game-style interactions to encourage patients to make better healthcare decisions, such as improving adherence to medication. Sidekick’s atopic dermatitis app is being released in the UK first, with launches across Europe and in Japan later this year. One Drop is another successful big pharma-backed group here; its partnership with Bayer has generated two marketed apps. Pear Therapeutics has had less luck with its team-ups, though it has the consolation that several of its products are on sale. Investors in Dario Health and the VCs behind Welldoc and Click Therapeutics will be watching with interest.