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Digital health start-up h2o Therapeutics has announced a collaboration with global healthcare company AmerisourceBergen to market Parky, a prescription mobile app used in monitoring Parkinson’s disease

The Parky app, which received 501(k) marketing clearance from the US Food and Drug Administration in November, is a direct-to-patient tool for sharing meaningful and reliable data between patients and medical professionals regarding the course of Parkinson’s disease. A prescription-based medical device, it uses the Apple Watch to monitor symptoms of the disease such as tremors and dyskinesia in real time.

Parkinson’s disease is the world’s fastest-growing neurological disorder, afflicting more than 10 million people worldwide, including about one million people in the US, according to the Parkinson’s Foundation. The Parky app is designed to assist healthcare providers develop a profile of the daily life of a Parkinson’s patient outside of clinical settings, helping to bridge the gap between real-life and in-clinic settings. 

h2o Therapeutics, the app’s developer, creates digital therapeutics with a focus on mobile technologies. AmerisourceBergen is a leading global pharmaceutical solutions organization.

As part of a pilot arrangement between the two companies, AmerisourceBergen will facilitate patient engagement and health system integration services through its DTx Connect platform. 

“Following the recent FDA clearance, we continue to focus on strategies and solutions that will enable us to expand patient access to Parky,” Yagmur Selin Gulmus, founder of h2o Therapeutics,” said in a news release. “Through this arrangement with AmerisourceBergen, our goal is to reduce barriers along the patient journey, improve access and expand our commercial reach.”