Startup signs with Gilead to help more people with arthritis

Daman, a digital healthcare company based in Denmark, has partnered with pharmaceutical firms Gilead Sciences and Galapagos to reach more people living with rheumatoid arthritis. 

The chronic condition affects around 17.6 million people worldwide, and the WHO estimate that at least 50 per cent of people who develop it are unable to hold down a full-time job within 10 years. 

Daman's new agreement will include 15 global markets, with which they hope to reach more patients living with the illness. The partnership agreement runs until September 2021, with the possibility of extension.

Currently around 13,000 people use Daman's RheumaBuddy app, which lets people rate their symptoms on a daily basis. The app summarises this info and then provides an overview to the patient and their doctor. 

RheumaBuddy also encourages patients to engage with their treatment and speak to other people with the condition. 

Over the next 6 months Daman will be adding new features that have been co-created with patients. These include My Plan & Goal, which will guide healthy habits towards improving quality of life; and a function to help patients collaborate more closely with rheumatologists. 

Andreas Dam, CEO at Daman, said: "There is a huge unmet need among RA patients to give more holistic care offerings. The partnership enables us to take important steps in the direction – to the benefit of patients and society.” 

As well as RheumaBuddy, Daman are the creators of HealthBuddy, a tool that collects patient data via a symptom tracker or diary, and uses machine learning to develop insights and personalised solutions.