- Biogen is collaborating with Happify Health to support people living with Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
- Happify Health’s platform supports the MS patient care journey, keeps patients abreast of treatment advances, helps support medication adherence, promotes holistic wellness goals, connects users with other members of the MS community, and gives them access to original content authored by experts in neurology and mental health
- Biogen has a leading portfolio of medicines to treat MS and is committed to pioneering in digital health
Cambridge, Mass. and New York – JUNE 22, 2022 – Biogen (NASDAQ:BIIB) and Happify Health (www.HappifyHealth.com), the Intelligent Healing Company™, today announced a collaboration to provide a digital solution for patient education and engagement, powered by artificial intelligence (AI), to support people living with multiple sclerosis (MS). Through this collaboration, Biogen and Happify Health will help people with MS manage their care journey, improve their wellbeing, learn about treatment options, consult with experts, and connect with other people in the MS community for support.
More than 2.3 million people live with MS globally, including over 1 million people in the United States, according to the National MS Society. Women are two to three times more likely to develop MS than men1.
This collaboration is one of many ways we are focused on supporting patients by meeting them where they are. The combination of Biogen’s expertise in neuroscience and our commitment to digital health, along with Happify Health’s AI and digital therapeutic capabilities will help drive a connected and comprehensive experience that allows patients to feel supported throughout their journey,” said Jason Hawbecker, Head of Strategic Partnerships & Collaborations at Biogen. “We are excited about the potential of this partnership to provide overall support for the MS community.
The Happify Health solution, which brings together a digital tool configured for MS and a care community (Kopa), offers holistic health and wellness support, with access to neurology providers (doctors, nurse practitioners, physicians assistants and nurses) as well as mental health specialists, dietitians, and rehabilitation professionals. The online community that recently launched provides a place for those living with MS to ask experts questions and discuss the physical and mental challenges they are facing with patients in similar stages. Happify Health uses its proprietary AI technology to personalize content to patients’ life stages, symptoms and interests.
It can be challenging for people living with MS to stay up-to-date with the latest treatments, interpret new symptoms, or investigate changes in their health that may or may not be related to MS,” said Ofer Leidner, President of Happify Health. “We are providing the MS community with a solution configured to accommodate their specific needs, as well as opportunities to engage with experts, receive curated content, and discuss disease management with other community members. We are very excited to partner with Biogen on this opportunity given their leadership in the MS space.
Biogen, a global leader in developing treatments for people living with serious neurological and neurodegenerative diseases, will provide support for the MS platform, including educational content and resources for the patient care journey. The company is a global leader in treating MS with a portfolio of medicines to treat relapsing forms of MS, characterized by periods where symptoms subside, with full or partial recovery, and there is no disease progression between attacks.
In addition to psoriasis and maternal health, MS is the third therapeutic area to be addressed through Happify Health’s unique SequenceTM approach. Sequences are configured to support specific medical conditions and weave together components like evidence-based digital therapeutics, online communities, and coaching in one unified platform, with recommendations tailored for each individual.
About Biogen
As pioneers in neuroscience, Biogen discovers, develops, and delivers worldwide innovative therapies for people living with serious neurological diseases as well as related therapeutic adjacencies. One of the world’s first global biotechnology companies, Biogen was founded in 1978 by Charles Weissmann, Heinz Schaller, Sir Kenneth Murray, and Nobel Prize winners Walter Gilbert and Phillip Sharp. Today, Biogen has a leading portfolio of medicines to treat multiple sclerosis, has introduced the first approved treatment for spinal muscular atrophy, and developed the first and only approved treatment to address a defining pathology of Alzheimer’s disease. Biogen is also commercializing biosimilars and focusing on advancing one of the industry’s most diversified pipelines in neuroscience that will transform the standard of care for patients in several areas of high unmet need.
In 2020, Biogen launched a bold 20-year, $250 million initiative to address the deeply interrelated issues of climate, health, and equity. Healthy Climate, Healthy Lives™ aims to eliminate fossil fuels across the company’s operations, build collaborations with renowned institutions to advance the science to improve human health outcomes, and support underserved communities.
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About Happify Health
Happify Health is The Intelligent Healing Company™. We shorten the distance between need and care by configuring personalized digital therapeutics and care solutions at scale for the modern healthcare cloud. Our platform integrates AI with empathy, making healing more personal, precise, and connected for the entire care journey. We deploy a full spectrum of clinical-grade care solutions—including Digital Therapeutics, Coaching, Community, and Well-being products—for pharma, health plans, enterprises, and individuals everywhere. Our global platform is available in 10 languages, supports chronic conditions, and covers more than 18 million lives. For more information, visit HappifyHealth.com.
Biogen Safe Harbor
This news release contains forward-looking statements, including statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, about the potential impact of artificial intelligence with respect to clinical and health outcomes; the potential benefits from early identification of disease; the potential benefits and results that may be achieved through our collaboration with Happify Health; the potential of our commercial business and pipeline programs; and our strategy and plans. These statements may be identified by words such as “aim,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “forecast,” “goal,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “possible,” “potential,” “will,” “would” and other words and terms of similar meaning. You should not place undue reliance on these statements, or the scientific data presented.
These statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those reflected in such statements, including without limitation, the risks of unexpected costs or delays; the risk of other unexpected hurdles; failure to protect and enforce our data, intellectual property and other proprietary rights and uncertainties relating to intellectual property claims and challenges; regulatory authorities may require additional information or further studies; third party collaboration risks; and the direct and indirect impacts of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic on our business, results of operations and financial condition. The foregoing sets forth many, but not all, of the factors that could cause actual results to differ from our expectations in any forward-looking statement. Investors should consider this cautionary statement as well as the risk factors identified in our most recent annual or quarterly report and in other reports we have filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. These statements are based on our current beliefs and expectations and speak only as of the date of this news release. We do not undertake any obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise.
References:
1. National Multiple Sclerosis Society MS FAQ
