For the first time in history. The US Food And Drug Administration have approved the use of a game as medicine. It is not just any videogame, but rather a prescription-only game-based device, known as EndeavorRx. EndeavorRx is meant to assist children suffering from ADHD. In the game, children have to pilot a sci-fi plane around alien landscapes, which should help them keep their attention focused.
According to the FDA, this is the very first digital therapeutic intended to improve symptoms associated with ADHD. This is also the very first game-based therapeutic that has been given marketing authorization by the FDA for any type of condition. EndeavorRx is only available for iOS, but it is definitely a game that will make history.
Jeffrey Shuren, the director of FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health, has explained that the EndeavorRx device gives a non-drug option meant to improve symptoms that are associated with ADHD in children and it is a relevant example of digital therapy, a field that has grown significantly in the past few years. The FDA also explain that the device is meant for use as part of a therapeutic program, including medication, clinician-directed therapy, and-or educational programs meant to further address the symptoms of the disorder. What this basically means is that EndeavorRx is not the sort of treatment you would give to your child and be done with it.
The FDA also explained that they reviewed data from a number of studies in more than 600 children. EndeavorRx thus significantly improved attention, according to a number of sources. Science Alert, an academic journal, explained that the study involved 348 participants and showed that 36 percent of children showed a certain degree of improvement in at least one objective measure of attention after playing the game for five days a week, for a month.