Treating Chronic Cough with Digital Therapeutics: Q&A with Tamsin Chislett

Tamsin Chislett
CEO
Hyfe

In late February, Hyfe announced plans to launch a prescription digital therapeutic to treat chronic cough. This is part of a growing industry trend towards the use of digital therapeutics. Hyfe’s technology, developed in partnership with KYORIN Pharmaceutical Co., makes it possible for patients to monitor a major symptom from the comfort of their own home, while also being able to provide the digital therapeutic with a more accurate picture of how severe the cough actually is. These new therapeutics also provide patients who have trouble physically accessing doctors’ offices with new opportunities to have their cough evaluated and receive treatment options.

Hyfe’s CEO Tamsin Chislett spoke with Pharmaceutical Executive about this new technology, along with how digital therapeutics have the ability to change the ways that patient symptoms are captured and measured by HCPs. She also discussed how new technologies like AI are expanding opportunities to implement digital therapeutics across the industry.

Pharmaceutical Executive: Can you discuss Hyfe’s latest breakthroughs?
Tamsin Chislett: Hyfe is developing world’s first prescription digital therapeutic for chronic cough. This innovative solution combines our AI-powered cough monitoring technology with Behavioral Cough Suppression Therapy (BCST), a non-pharmacological treatment proven to improve cough outcomes in over 80% of patients. Our partnership with Kyorin Pharmaceutical aims to bring this DTx to the Japanese market, significantly expanding access to an effective cough treatment.

PE: How will digital medicine impact DTx?
Chislett: Digital medicine or the use of technology to improve patient outcomes and expand access to treatment is the entire idea behind a DTx. At Hyfe, we used our extensive cough dataset to develop an AI-powered model capable of accurately monitoring cough frequency and patterns. This technology forms the foundation of our DTx for chronic cough, which integrates continuous cough monitoring with Behavioral Cough Suppression Therapy. Patients can track their cough patterns, engage in BCST, and observe the impact on their cough frequency over time. This iterative process includes real-time feedback and the ability to tailor treatment, showing how digital medicine improves the efficacy and personalization of DTx.

PE: How has AI expanded access to existing treatments?
Chislett: Chronic cough affects millions worldwide, significantly diminishing quality of life. Despite extensive research, no consistently effective drug treatments exist. AI has democratized access to treatments by BCST to be digitized. This is an effective therapy that was previously limited to in-person sessions. Hyfe’s platform delivers BCST via a user-friendly mobile app, overcoming geographical and logistical barriers. We combine it with our AI that monitors cough frequency, which ensures patients can understand their progress over time, all from within an app on their smartphone. The Dtx will ensure that patients worldwide can receive effective, side-effect-free treatment for chronic cough without the constraints of traditional healthcare settings.

PE: What are Hyfe’s plans for the coming years?
Chislett: Hyfe is in conversations with a number of potential partners to develop, commercialize and distribute our Dtx for chronic cough outside of Japan. Additionally, we aim to integrate our AI-powered cough monitoring technology with other platforms, supporting the management of respiratory conditions.