Mika Health Partners with AstraZeneca and Daiichi Sankyo for AI Mobile Support in Breast Cancer Treatment

Breast cancer patients in Switzerland will gain access to a customized digital therapeutic designed to enhance their treatment experience and overall health. Announced on June 18, 2024, at the HLTH Europe conference, this initiative is a collaboration between Mika Health, AstraZeneca, and Daiichi Sankyo.

Mika Health, a global developer specializing in digital therapeutics for cancer patients, has introduced this new initiative named "UNITE." The program aims to improve the treatment experience for women undergoing breast cancer therapy. According to Adam Nosal, Head of Oncology at AstraZeneca Switzerland, digital therapies are becoming increasingly vital in modern cancer treatment, and this partnership with Mika will help expand access to comprehensive cancer care.

Mika Health is an evidence-based digital therapeutic that has already benefited over 100,000 cancer patients in Germany and Great Britain. The platform is certified under Class IIa of the EU Medical Device Regulation (MDR) and supports patients through mental health coaching, AI-driven personalized recommendations, and daily symptom tracking. The objective is to encourage active participation in treatment, thereby enhancing the treatment experience.

Under the UNITE program, breast cancer patients will use the Mika Health digital therapeutic alongside their pharmaceutical treatments. Initially available to patients in clinics in German-speaking Switzerland, the project has been running since April 2024 and is supported by EUROPA DONNA Switzerland and the Cancer League. The program will later extend to French and Italian-speaking regions of Switzerland.

Dr. Gandolf Finke, founder and Managing Director of Mika Health, expressed his enthusiasm for the collaboration, highlighting the potential to improve patients' understanding, control, and physical and mental health through this combined approach of digital support and innovative drug research.

Mika Health employs proven therapy management methods and innovative machine learning technologies to enhance the experiences and outcomes for people living with cancer. The Mika Health app provides extensive information on nutrition, exercise, mindfulness, and financial issues and acts as a digital therapeutic agent for depressive moods and fatigue. A randomized clinical trial showed that depressive symptoms decreased by 42 percent and chronic fatigue by 23 percent compared to a control group.

Giuseppe Grossi, Country Manager of Daiichi Sankyo Switzerland, emphasized the importance of innovative solutions in modern cancer treatment. He praised the partnership with Mika as a concrete example of progress in promoting better quality of life and treatment outcomes for cancer patients.

Despite advancements in breast cancer treatment, it remains the most frequently diagnosed cancer and the leading cause of cancer death in women globally. In 2020, there were about 2.3 million new cases and 685,000 deaths due to breast cancer. In Switzerland alone, more than 6,000 women are diagnosed annually, and around 50 men are also affected.

Mika Health, founded in Berlin in 2017 by Dr. Gandolf Finke and Dr. Jan Simon Raue, is an app-based platform providing comprehensive support to cancer patients through digital technology. It combines machine learning with a multimedia knowledge base to offer nutritional tips, exercise routines, and mindfulness training. The platform has already been used by tens of thousands of patients in Germany and the UK and is expanding its reach in the global HealthTech market.

Daiichi Sankyo, an innovative healthcare company with over 120 years of experience, focuses on developing new care standards to improve the quality of life worldwide. AstraZeneca, a British pharmaceutical company operating in Switzerland for nearly 50 years, aims to make the Swiss healthcare system more sustainable and resilient, with a commitment to becoming CO2 negative by 2030.

This collaboration between Mika Health, AstraZeneca, and Daiichi Sankyo represents a significant step forward in enhancing the treatment experience and outcomes for breast cancer patients in Switzerland.