A new development for Apple Watches will help Parkinson's patients

Rune Labs has received FDA approval for an Apple Watch-based system that will help Parkinson's patients monitor symptoms and movement disorders automatically

Niv Lillian

16/06/2022

Thursday, 16 June 2022, 07:13 Updated: 07:16

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Apple Watch with watchOS 9 (Photo: Apple)

An app aimed at helping Parkinson's patients using Apple Watches has received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the developer, Rune Labs, has announced.

The company's development automatically monitors hand tremors, allowing the patient to report symptoms and medication follow-up.

The software, called StrivePD, allows physicians to monitor the progression and variability in the symptoms of the degenerative disease, which causes involuntary movements and coordination difficulties.

The information collected automatically, in effect, frees patients from having to document the symptoms themselves or remember the changes.

The platform will also be a rich source of information on the efficacy of Parkinson's drugs.

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An app that aims to help Parkinson's patients using Apple Watches (Photo: GettyImages)

Patients have been using the app for nearly a year, but FDA approval says doctors now have the option to use the broad information in clinical trials to treat Parkinson's.

StrivePD uses Apple's dedicated programming interface for the watch, which monitors traffic disruptions, which the company announced back in 2018.

Apple's initiative allows researchers to access rich information (which, of course, meets stringent privacy requirements and undergoes innocence), collected on traffic disruptions.

Apple has also conducted its own research on this matter, and even published findings in 2021, showing that the watch can accurately track changes in the movements of Parkinson's patients.

While Apple is not officially affiliated with Rune Labs, it does provide broad support: Apple has specifically updated its software to meet FDA requirements, and even written a letter of recommendation as part of Rune Labs' approval request to the Food and Drug Administration.

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• Parkinson's