New digital health solution for heart failure management puts patients at the center of their care by providing ability for at-home disease monitoring -

Astellas Pharma Inc. (TSE: 4503, President and CEO: Naoki Okamura, "Astellas")  announced that DIGITIVA™, a non-invasive digital health solution for heart failure management, has been listed with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). DIGITIVA is classified as a Class I Software as a Medical Device (SaMD) and is exempt from 510(k) premarket submission. DIGITIVA is the first digital health offering from Astellas in the U.S.

DIGITIVA is designed to place patients impacted by heart failure at the center of their care, allowing them to take a more active role in managing their health while working in partnership with their care team. DIGITIVA is comprised of three components: the CORE 500™ Digital Stethoscope developed by Eko Health Inc., a smartphone app designed for heart failure patients and built on the Welldoc, Inc. platform, bolstered by educational content from the American Heart Association, and a dedicated clinical review team. The DIGITIVA clinical review team triages patient data, including previously elusive biomarkers specific to heart failure, and notifies the patient's treating physician when certain signals are present that may indicate the patient would benefit from intervention, with the goal of impacting clinical outcomes such as acute decompensation events and re-hospitalizations.

Richard Cassidy, Head of Rx+ Business Accelerator, Astellas
"We believe DIGITIVA has the potential to help patients and their physicians better manage heart failure by providing patients with a new option that facilitates disease monitoring from home, enabling physician intervention, as needed. DIGITIVA was developed within the Astellas Rx+ Business Accelerator and exemplifies our commitment to pioneering digital health technologies that provide personalized and accessible care with the goal of improving health outcomes. This achievement marks a significant milestone for Astellas as we integrate innovative technology with tailored patient support."

Heart failure is a global health issue affecting more than 64 million people worldwide¹. In the U.S., the prevalence of heart failure is 6.9 million (2020 estimate) and is expected to increase by 24% to nearly 8.5 million by 2030 due to the aging and growth of the U.S. population^2,3,4.

Connor Landgraf, Co-founder and CEO, Eko Health
"The realization of DIGITIVA is a remarkable stride toward transforming the landscape of tools available to manage heart health by bridging the gap between home and clinic care. By joining forces with Astellas, we have seamlessly integrated our cutting-edge CORE 500 Digital Stethoscope and AI technology with a highly engaging DTx app with the goal of moving us toward a future where heart failure is actively managed rather than treated reactively."

Kevin McRaith, President and CEO, Welldoc
"DIGITIVA embodies the potential of digital health by equipping patients with the information, support and resources they need to manage their heart health from the comfort of home. By integrating Welldoc's platform, DIGITIVA provides patients with AI-driven real-time and personalized feedback that can help promote positive lifestyle changes, while also offering physicians data-driven insights for tailored clinical decision-making."

Astellas has already reflected the impact from the FDA listing in its financial forecast of the current fiscal year ending March 31, 2025.

For additional information, the DIGITIVA™ Instructions for Use are linked here⁵ and the CORE 500™ Digital Stethoscope Instructions for Use are linked here⁶.

*FDA classifies medical devices into three different classes based on the device's safety and effectiveness. Class I includes those devices with the lowest risk, and Class III includes those devices with the greatest risk such as life-supporting or life-sustaining devices. Most Class I and some Class II devices are exempt from FDA's 510(k) premarket review. Virtually all Class III devices require premarket approval (or a PMA) that must be supported by valid scientific evidence (often well-controlled clinical studies) to demonstrate the device is safe and effective for its intended use.

References
¹ GBD 2017 Disease and Injury Incidence and Prevalence Collaborators. Global, regional, and national incidence, prevalence, and years lived with disability for 354 diseases and injuries for 195 countries and territories, 1990-2017: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017. Lancet. 2018;392(10159):1789-858.
² Benjamin EJ, Virani SS, Callaway CW, Chamberlain AM, Chang AR, Cheng S, et al. Heart disease and stroke statistics-2018 update: a report from the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2018;137:e67-e492.
³ Heidenreich PA, Albert NM, Allen LA, Bluemke DA, Butler J, Fonarow GC, et al. Forecasting the impact of heart failure in the United States: a policy statement from the American Heart Association. Circ Heart Fail. 2013 May;6(3):606-19.
⁴ Bozkurt B, Ahmad T, Alexander KM, Baker WL, Bosak K, Breathett K, Fonarow GC, Heidenreich P, Ho JE, Hsich E, Ibrahim NE, Jones LM, Khan SS, Khazanie P, Koelling T, Krumholz HM, Khush KK, Lee C, Morris AA, Page RL 2nd, Pandey A, Piano MR, Stehlik J, Stevenson LW, Teerlink JR, Vaduganathan M, Ziaeian B; Writing Committee Members. Heart Failure Epidemiology and Outcomes Statistics: A Report of the Heart Failure Society of America. J Card Fail. 2023 Oct;29(10):1412-1451. doi: 10.1016/j.cardfail.2023.07.006. Epub 2023 Sep 26. PMID: 37797885; PMCID: PMC10864030.
⁵ DIGITIVA™ Instructions for Use: https://www.astellas.com/en/system/files/1539a14805/digitiva_instructions_for_use.pdf
⁶ CORE 500™ Digital Stethoscope Instructions for Use: https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0715/6111/files/LBL-0002512_CORE_500_IFU_Rev_2.0.pdf?v=1718204855