The global healthcare landscape is undergoing a quiet revolution. Digital Therapeutics (DTx)—software-based, evidence-driven treatments—are replacing or complementing traditional medication in ways few imagined a decade ago. Startups at the forefront of this transformation are proving that an app on your phone can sometimes do what a pill in your hand once did.
These DTx startups offer digital solutions for chronic diseases, mental health, addiction, diabetes, insomnia, and more. With clinical validation and regulatory approvals, they are not just wellness tools but prescription-grade treatments—delivered digitally.
What Are Digital Therapeutics?
Digital therapeutics are software programs that deliver clinical interventions directly to patients. They target medical conditions through structured behavioral and cognitive therapies, personalized coaching, monitoring, and reminders.
Unlike general wellness apps, DTx products undergo rigorous clinical trials, receive regulatory clearance, and often become part of a doctor’s treatment plan. Patients use them under supervision, and insurers and healthcare providers increasingly reimburse them like traditional medication.
Why Startups Are Leading the Charge
Traditional pharma companies have moved slowly in the digital space. In contrast, startups embrace agility, data, and technology. They partner with healthcare professionals, researchers, and payers to launch digital-first therapeutics that meet modern patient needs.
These startups leverage artificial intelligence, real-time tracking, behavioral science, and personalized content to deliver scalable and affordable treatment options.
Let’s explore the most promising startups replacing pills with pixels.
1. Akili Interactive
Akili developed EndeavorRx, the first FDA-approved video game that treats ADHD in children aged 8-12. The company built the game to improve attention function by targeting specific neural systems.
EndeavorRx helps children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder by engaging them in missions that require focus and cognitive control. The treatment lasts 25 minutes per day, five days a week, for four weeks. Akili received FDA approval in 2020 and has continued to expand use cases across neurology and pediatrics.
2. Pear Therapeutics (Note: Pear filed for bankruptcy in 2023, but its legacy and assets remain significant)
Pear Therapeutics made headlines as the first company to secure FDA authorization for multiple DTx products:
- reSET for substance use disorder
- reSET-O for opioid use disorder
- Somryst for chronic insomnia
These apps delivered Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) digitally and integrated with clinician dashboards for remote monitoring. Despite its financial troubles, Pear sparked interest in DTx and demonstrated that digital therapies can coexist with traditional pharmaceuticals.
3. Happify Health (now Twill)
Twill, formerly known as Happify Health, builds personalized digital therapeutics for mental health, pregnancy care, and chronic disease management. The company works with major insurers and pharmaceutical brands to deliver digital pathways that combine mental and physical health support.
Its flagship product, Happify, uses gamification and science-backed exercises to improve mental well-being. Twill rebranded to reflect its broader mission: threading health into everyday life.
4. Big Health
Big Health offers non-drug treatments for insomnia and anxiety. Its digital programs, Sleepio and Daylight, use CBT principles to improve sleep and reduce anxiety without medication.
The company collaborates with the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) and major employers in the U.S. Big Health prioritizes scientific rigor and has published multiple randomized controlled trials (RCTs) proving the efficacy of its programs.
With over 10 million users globally, Big Health proves that behavioral interventions delivered digitally can rival pharmaceuticals—without the side effects.
5. Better Therapeutics
Better Therapeutics focuses on cardiometabolic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and fatty liver disease. Its DTx platform, BT-001, helps patients adopt long-term behavioral changes through CBT, nutrition education, and remote coaching.
The company positions its product as a prescription digital therapeutic, developed in collaboration with physicians and covered by insurance. Better Therapeutics aims to reduce dependence on chronic medications by targeting root causes through behavior change.
6. Omada Health
Omada Health blends digital care with human support. Its platform tackles diabetes, hypertension, obesity, and musculoskeletal issues by combining wearable data, coaching, and behavioral science.
Omada’s programs help users track activity, food intake, and blood sugar while interacting with healthcare coaches. This model shows strong clinical results and receives backing from employers, health plans, and value-based care providers.
Omada uses digital tools not just to replace pills—but to prevent the need for them altogether.
Read More – Space Tech Startups Launching into Orbit
7. Kaia Health
Kaia Health develops AI-powered digital therapies for chronic pain, COPD, and musculoskeletal disorders. Its app uses smartphone cameras to guide and correct user posture during exercise therapy—no wearables needed.
With rising costs in physiotherapy and pain management, Kaia’s model brings effective care to users’ homes, reducing reliance on painkillers and in-person appointments. Employers and insurers have adopted the platform widely across Europe and North America.
8. Click Therapeutics
Click Therapeutics builds prescription digital therapeutics for neuropsychiatric disorders, including depression, insomnia, and schizophrenia. The company designs mobile-based treatments rooted in CBT and user engagement science.
Click partners with large pharmaceutical firms like Otsuka and Boehringer Ingelheim to co-develop DTx solutions. Their work reinforces that digital therapeutics and pharma can collaborate rather than compete.
Regulatory and Clinical Backing
Digital therapeutics don’t operate in a grey zone. Many receive FDA or CE Mark approvals, demonstrating both safety and efficacy. Startups conduct RCTs, pilot programs, and post-market studies to validate outcomes. As regulatory bodies evolve, DTx startups stay ahead by investing in data, compliance, and evidence generation.
Payers have also begun reimbursing digital therapeutics. Medicaid, Medicare Advantage, and private insurers recognize the cost savings from reduced hospital visits, better disease management, and fewer medication side effects.
Why the Shift from Pills to Pixels Matters
Traditional pills solve biological problems, but many chronic and lifestyle diseases stem from behavioral and environmental causes. Digital therapeutics tackle these root issues with personalized, scalable interventions that patients can use on-demand.
They reduce barriers to care, lower costs, and offer continuous support, something a monthly prescription can’t do. Patients also prefer non-invasive, interactive tools—especially in mental health and chronic care settings.
Also Read – Bill Gates Predicts a 2-Day Workweek
Final Thoughts
The rise of digital therapeutics signals a paradigm shift in how we understand and deliver healthcare. Startups are leading this transformation by creating evidence-based, engaging, and personalized treatments that often outperform—or complement—traditional pills.
As we move into an era where data becomes medicine, these startups prove that the future of healthcare might not lie in pharmacies, but in our smartphones.
The DTx revolution is here—and it’s only just beginning.