Almirall and Happify Health enter into strategic partnership to develop evidence-supported digital therapeutics solutions for psoriasis patients

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-- The goal of this strategic partnership is to develop digital solutions to improve the lives of patients with psoriasis based on cognitive behavioral therapy, positive psychology and mindfulness

BARCELONA, Jan. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Almirall, S.A. (BME:ALM), a global biopharmaceutical company based in Barcelona, and Happify Health, a leader in digital therapeutics solutions to improve mental and physical health based in New York, will develop a version of its digital platform specifically for people with psoriasis in Spain, UK, Italy and France to be rolled out this year. It is estimated that 20-30% of patients with moderate to severe psoriasis suffer from mental health issues such as anxiety and depression[1]. Happify Health, through evidence-based and clinically validated platforms, delivers mental health solutions targeted to patients with chronic diseases.

The Almirall partnership with Happify Health will focus on a solution called CLARO targeted to addressing the mental health concerns of psoriasis patients. The goal of the CLARO program is to create a solution/service to help psoriasis patients improve their well-being when living with a chronic disease providing a meaningful, dynamic and fun user experience. CLARO will be delivered through the Almirall patient support program.

This new partnership demonstrates Almirall's commitment to deliver digital solutions to patients suffering from psoriasis. "We are so pleased to be joining Happify Health on their mission to improve the lives of patients with chronic conditions. This partnership will allow us to provide patients with psoriasis a solution based on a clinically validated positive psychology platform. We selected Happify as our partner as they have already demonstrated a positive impact on the mental health of patients with chronic conditions, including psoriasis, in published research," said Francesca Domenech Wuttke, Chief Digital Officer at Almirall.

"Since mental health events act as stressors that can trigger psoriasis flare ups, Happify is excited to work with a European leader like Almirall in this condition to address the mental and physical health symptoms of these patients," said Chris Wasden, Head of Digital Therapeutics at Happify Health. "Our digital therapeutic solution acts as a complement to Almirall's commitment to psoriasis patients to empower people with psoriasis to live full lives through meaningful behavior change. Together, we can help psoriasis patients, one patient at a time, and at scale."

References

[1] H.L. Richards, D.G. Fortune, C.E. Griffiths, C.J. Main The contribution of perceptions of stigmatisation to disability in patients with psoriasis

J Psychosom Res., 50 (2001), pp. 11-15.

The prevalence of comorbid depression in patients with psoriasis is estimated at between 20% and 30%, and rates as high as 62% have been reported. E.A. Dowlatshahi, M. Wakkee, L.R. Arends, T. NijstenThe prevalence and odds of depressive symptoms and clinical depression in psoriasis patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis J Invest Dermatol., 134 (2014), pp. 1542-1551.

M. Esposito, R. Saraceno, A. Giunta, M. Maccarone, S. ChimentiAn Italian study on psoriasis and depression Dermatology., 212 (2006), pp. 123-127.