Digital Health Coffee Time Briefing ☕

Your morning summary of digital health news, information and events to know about if you want to be “in the know”.

👇 News

📲 A prescription-only app for treating depressive disorder has been launched by Otsuka Pharmaceutical Europe Ltd and Click Therapeutics Inc. Rejoyn is a six-week treatment programme which focuses on enhancing cognitive control of emotion through brain training exercises and therapeutic lessons. Classed as a medical device, it is designed to be used alongside a patient’s existing care plan.

😛 Tech-enabled contraception device Inne’s Minilab is a saliva-based tracker has been certified for use in the UK and Europe by the British Standards Institute. The saliva biosensor tracks progesterone levels daily and gives 100% effectiveness when used accurately, with 92% effectiveness with typical use.

👨‍⚕️Genomics’ predictive clinical tool, Health Insights is now available nationwide across Great Britain. Health Insights is aUKCA-marked and MHRA registered test which combines genetic and clinical factors to predict and prevent common diseases. The test covers cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, breast cancer and prostate cancer. Using a saliva test, health professionals are then provided with patients’ integrated risk scores supporting informed decision-making and tailored advice.

🔐 The UK government has announced plans to significantly boost its cybersecurity sector through strategic investment and a new Cyber Growth Action Plan. This initiative includes up to £16 million to support cyber start-ups and for programmes like CyberASAP to commercialise academic research. The goal is to drive innovation, create high-quality jobs, and enhance national security against evolving cyber threats.

🏋️A digital exercise programme intended to help prevent falls has been identified as having the potential to improve bladder control. The Keep On Keep Up (KOKU) platform uses exercises and games to increase strength, balance and health literacy around falls. But, Dr Javier Roig at The University of Catalonia and Dr Marius Brazaitus at Lithuanian Sports University spotted its potential for supporting bladder health. Work on a KOKU Bladder project is expected to be complete within the next eight months.

❓Did you know?

An innovative ‘artificial pancreas’ system is transforming daily life for thousands of children and young people with type 1 diabetes in England, according to the  National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).

Following a key NICE recommendation in December 2023, uptake surged to 62% nationally.

Around 20,000 individuals, representing three in five eligible children and young people, benefit from this hybrid closed loop (HCL) technology, recommended by NICE.

These advanced systems digitally automate much of diabetes management by integrating an insulin pump, a continuous glucose monitor and a smart algorithm, controlled via a smartphone app.

This eliminates the need for constant finger-prick tests and multiple daily injections, enabling more precise insulin delivery and significantly reducing the risk of dangerous blood sugar emergencies.

The technology has led to vastly improved blood sugar control and a better quality of life, offering greater independence for young users and reducing the mental burden on families.

NICE says that efforts are underway to address disparities in access, particularly for those from deprived or certain ethnic minority backgrounds, ensuring the solution reaches more who need it.

📖 What we’re reading

Sally Gainsbury, senior policy analyst at Nuffield Trust, has published a response to the June 2025 government spending review in a BMJ opinion blog, highlighting implications for digital health professionals.

She says that despite what might appear as a generous settlement compared to other government departments, inflationary pressures and rising demand have effectively negated much of the allocated funding.

“The notion that the health service has emerged as a “winner” from the chancellor’s spending review is a bit like congratulating someone who has just won back the face value of a scratch card. It certainly could have been worse, but the NHS is not going to feel materially better off compared to the last decade,” she writes.

Crucially for digital health, the review indicates that capital funding will remain flat in real terms for the foreseeable future. Gainsbury writes.

She adds that this lack of increased investment in infrastructure and technology upgrades could severely hamper the NHS’s ability to achieve its ambitious productivity targets, which heavily rely on digital transformation.

🚨Upcoming events

25 June, Online webinar – The new Post-Market Surveillance legislation for medical devices – what you need to know