Akili CEO Martucci sees ‘massive’ need for company’s ADHD video-game treatment

Akili Interactive, a maker of video-game-based treatments for young people with ADHD and other behavioral indications, made its public debut to a turbulent stock market last week. The company’s shares, which opened at $36, fell below $4 Monday in early trading.

Akili merged with a special purpose acquisition company created by former Facebook executive Chamath Palihapitiya. Combined with Akili’s cash on hand, funds from the deal will give Akili two years of runway, not including revenue, according to the company.

Akili CEO Eddie Martucci said the company’s early focus isn’t so much on its stock price, but on raising funds to commercialize its first product, a game called EndeavorRx that is cleared by the Food and Drug Administration to improve attention in kids with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. It’s downloaded as an app for a smartphone or tablet, and involves navigating a spaceship through different levels while collecting targets and avoiding obstacles.

EndeavorRX is part of a broader class of products called digital therapeutics, or software-based treatments that are sometimes prescribed by a physician.

Despite advances in technology and clinical validation, the sector hasn’t had “as rapid or clear of a glide path in terms of the go-to-market,” said Megan Zweig, COO of Rock Health, which advises and invests in digital health companies. “There’s still a lot of outstanding questions around how these solutions are going to be paid for, how they’re ultimately going to get in the hands of consumers and be prescribed by physicians… and also how they’re going to get the real world evidence that I think they will ultimately need to secure reimbursement.”

Figuring out the reimbursement piece is a key next step for Akili and its peers as they look to market their first prescription therapeutics.

Martucci and Matt Franklin, Akili’s new COO, talked about how the company is preparing a full-scale launch of EndeavorRx later this year while navigating a challenging market.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity. 

Original Article: (https://www.medtechdive.com/news/akili-ceo-martucci-sees-massive-need-for-companys-adhd-video-game-treatm/630684/)