Key takeaways:
- Zerigo 2.0 ecosystem assists in the treatment of chronic skin conditions at home or on the go in half the time of in-office visits.
- The system includes a phototherapy device, app and resource center.
Zerigo Health announced the launch of Zerigo 2.0 ecosystem, a digital platform that connects health care systems and patients to the management and phototherapy treatment of chronic skin conditions, according to a company press release.
“The American Academy of Dermatology has published guidelines that show phototherapy is safe and effective for psoriasis and eczema,” Frank D. D’Amelio, chief operating officer and interim CEO of Zerigo Health, told Healio. “However, it is really inconvenient for patients to come into the physician’s office two to three times a week for 12 weeks.”
As a result, Zerigo created the Zerigo Health ecosystem, a treatment suite comprised of a handheld, ultraviolet B light therapy device that is controlled by a smartphone app with access to health care professionals that monitor adherence and seek to encourage patients.
The light therapy device, called Zerigo Health Phototherapy System, was FDA-cleared in 2017 for the treatment of dermatologic conditions such as psoriasis, atopic dermatitis and more.
According to the release, this method of treatment allows patients to noninvasively and nonsystemically treat themselves at home or on the go without the need of frequent in-office treatment at dermatologist appointments.
The launch of Zerigo 2.0 ecosystem has updated the phototherapy tool to cover twice the body surface area in half the treatment time compared with previous device models, according to the release.
The system also comes with the Zerigo app which automatically controls, calculates and personalizes patient dosages based on treatment response while adhering to physicians’ prescriptions. The recent update also enables the app to analyze treatment adherence, monitor dosages and track skin clearance.
Additionally, the ZerigoCare Guide is a resource center comprised of registered nurses, medical assistants and other certified health and wellness coaches that offer support, encouragement and treatment advice to patients, according to the release.
Updates to the portal will provide missed treatment alerts, personalized patient profiles, treatment reminders and progress reports that are accessible by both patients and their physicians.
In light of adherence being one of the largest hindrances to treatment in dermatology, especially in the realm of topical medication, D’Amelio believes this treatment suite may improve that issue.
“The future of treatment is found in quantifiable improvement feedback,” he said. “Quantifiable feedback will lead to increased motivation and increased motivation will lead to increased adherence and faster clearance.”
The tool is covered through health insurance and requires a phototherapy prescription from a dermatologist. If interested in monitoring the progress of a patient, dermatologists can be sent monthly, quarterly or half-year reports from Zerigo.
“We are changing lives without using a pharmacological treatment with side effects,” D’Amelio said. “Once you write a script to your patient and they turn it into us, they are in good hands.”
Reference:
Zerigo Health. https://www.zerigohealth.com/. Accessed April 24, 2023.