Koa Health to collaborate with Janssen: Official press release

[November 19, 2020, Barcelona, London & Boston]: Koa Health, a digital mental healthcare provider redefining care by offering a range of personalised mental health solutions backed by science and designed to improve user wellbeing, announces today that it has entered into a strategic collaboration with Janssen Pharmaceutica NV, one of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson. Through the collaboration, Koa Health will work with Janssen scientists to research the delivery of digital cognitive behavioural therapy (dCBT) for treatment-resistant major depressive disorder (MDD) patients, in conjunction with pharmacological treatments. The agreement was facilitated by Johnson & Johnson Innovation.

As part of the program, Koa Health and Janssen will perform a US multi-site feasibility study to assess the use of dCBT in conjunction with a pharmacological treatment in patients with treatment-resistant depression (TRD).

Oliver Harrison, CEO at Koa Health commented: ‘Our goal at Koa Health is to provide easy access to a range of digital mental health solutions which meet the mental health needs of every individual and help them to flourish. Treatment-resistant depression and major depressive disorder can be debilitating conditions for patients, having a serious impact on the way they think, feel and act. Patients often experience persistent feelings of sadness or despair and have difficulty with everyday life. By trialling the use of digital cognitive behavioural therapy, specifically designed for TRD patients, we aim to improve treatment outcomes in this difficult to treat patient population’.

Depression is the condition most frequently associated with suicide and the average cost of healthcare for a patient with TRD is up to 2.8 times higher than for patients with non-TRD or non-MDD. The collaboration between Janssen and Koa Health aims to provide  vital research into an area of mental health for patients that have endured long-term suffering.

About Koa Health

Koa Health is the only digital mental healthcare provider that offers integrated mental health solutions, covering the waterfront from improving wellbeing to supporting treatment for a range of common mental disorders. Koa Health’s solutions are personalised services with proven user outcomes. Backed by investors including Telefónica, Ancora Finance Group and Wellington Partners, Koa Health leverages technology and research to enable people to change their behaviours with effective and accessible support that adapts to their unique circumstances. Headquartered in the Netherlands, Koa Health has operations in Barcelona, the US and the UK. Koa partners with leading clinicians and academics including Massachusetts General Hospital, University College of London, the London School of Economics, Birmingham and the Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust.

For more information, please visit www.koahealth.com

Contact Koa Health

Press Office: koahealth@missive.co.uk