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FDA approves marketing a videogame as medicine for the first timeIt’s for children with ADHD
It’s for children with ADHD
In a historic first, the US Food And Drug Administration have approved the use of a videogame as medicine. It’s for a specific, “prescription-only game-based device, called EndeavorRx”, which is intended to help children with ADHD.Kidshave to fly a sci-fi plane around alien environments, in theory helping them learn how to keep their attention focused.
According to Jeffrey Shuren, director of the FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health, “The EndeavorRx device offers a non-drug option for improving symptoms associated with ADHD in children and is an important example of the growing field of digital therapy and digital therapeutics.” The FDA do also note that “the device is intended for use as part of a therapeutic program that may include clinician-directed therapy, medication, and/or educational programs, which further address symptoms of the disorder”. So it’s definitely not a ‘hand this game to your kids and you’re done’ type deal.
The FDA say they “reviewed data from multiple studies in more than 600 children”, and found that EndeavorRX significantly improved attention according to various measures.
Watch on YouTube
Watch on YouTube
