Novartis is set to develop a range of prescription software applications that can be used to treat patients suffering from schizophrenia and multiple sclerosis.

The work will see the Swiss pharma company partner with Pear Therapeutics, a leading light in the emerging digital therapeutics field.

Novartis said its collaboration with Pear Therapeutics would see the partners work to “better address the full burden of their illnesses”.

Jay Bradner, president of the Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research, said: "Psychiatric and neurodegenerative diseases place a heavy physical, mental and economic burden on patients and their families.

"With widespread adoption of digital devices, prescription digital therapeutics could potentially play an important role in future treatment models for a range of diseases with high unmet medical need."

They will look to do this by advancing the clinical development of Pear’s Thrive digital therapeutic for patients with schizophrenia.

Novartis and Pear will also jointly design and develop a new therapeutic application to address the mental health burden for patients with multiple sclerosis.

Corey McCann, president and CEO of Pear, said: "We look forward to working with Novartis, an organization known for excellence in biomedical science, to develop much needed treatments for patients suffering from schizophrenia and multiple sclerosis.

"Novartis shares our vision for prescription digital therapeutics that work alongside drugs to deliver superior patient outcomes. We believe this collaboration further supports the clinical viability of prescription digital therapeutics as an emerging treatment modality and we are poised to execute on that opportunity."

Pear's prescription digital therapeutics deliver clinically-proven treatments, such as cognitive behavioural therapy, to patients through mobile and desktop applications, and can be prescribed alongside prescription medicines.

The company’s Reset substance abuse app last year become the first FDA-approved prescription digital therapeutic to be cleared with claims of improving clinical outcomes.

Pear was also one of just nine firms picked last year for an FDA digital health pilot programme, with it lining up alongside the likes of Apple, Verily and Fitbit.

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