UNITED KINGDOM – According to a company press release, AstraZeneca invested approximately US$33 million in UK-based digital health startup Huma Therapeutics.

As part of the agreement, Huma will acquire AstraZeneca’s asthma and heart disease management platform (AMAZE).

The drugmaker has used the AMAZE platform to conduct clinical trials at US academic medical centres aiming to improve patient engagement, care-team communication and clinical outcomes while reducing healthcare costs.

According to AstraZeneca’s chief digital officer, the AstraZeneca-Huma deal is the company’s first digital health investment.

The companies said the new partnership will leverage the “early success” of the AMAZE platform to accelerate digital-first care across therapeutic areas and launch software as a medical device (SaMDs).

Huma creates apps that allow clinicians to remotely monitor a patient’s chronic condition. In fact, the startup is already working with AstraZeneca to conduct clinical trials.

An AstraZeneca spokesperson stated “we will collaborate closely to scale AMAZE across multiple projects driving our shared ambition to improve clinical outcomes through digital health solutions that bridge the gap between patients, clinicians and researchers.”

Johnny-come-lately

AstraZeneca is a latecomer to the digital health fray: Its competitors, such as Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim, and Sanofi, have already made long-term investments in digital health, specifically in the digital therapeutics space.

Bayer, for example, invested in Huma in 2019 and has long been a supporter of diabetes management startup One Drop.

Sanofi and Boehringer Ingelheim have also previously invested in Click Therapeutics, a digital therapeutics (DTx) company.

In addition, Sanofi recently signed a multiyear US$30 million contract with DTx entrant DarioHealth to commercialize digital therapies for conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, musculoskeletal health, and mental health.

AstraZeneca’s new investment in Huma Therapeutics could help it gain a stronger foothold in the digital chronic disease management space—but it will need to catch up to pharma competitors who have had contracts with health tech startups for several years.

Accordingly, pharma titans are likely to increase their investments in DTx in the near future, particularly as more health consumers seek alternatives to traditional medication when possible.

Many adults in the United States are hesitant to try new medications for their condition, and they believe that some doctors are too “quick” to prescribe medication.

Huma, previously known as Medopad before rebranding in 2020, has raised more than US$200 million in venture capital funding to date from investors such as Bayer and Samsung, including a US$130-million raise last year.

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