Akili announces ENDEAVOR Digital Attention Treatment is available for children with ADHD under FDA’s COVID-19 enforcement discretion guidance

Delivered through a captivating video game experience, ENDEAVOR is a digital treatment that has been shown in a rigorously designed and conducted clinical research program to improve attention function, as measured by computer-based testing, in children ages 8-12 years old with primarily inattentive or combined-type ADHD who have a demonstrated attention issue. Attention impairments are a component of ADHD in more than 85% of children diagnosed and can significantly impact daily functioning.

Akili is pursuing U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearance of ENDEAVOR as a prescription treatment for use in pediatric ADHD. In parallel, the current release of ENDEAVOR is in response to new guidance from FDA recognizing the need for access to certain low-risk clinically-validated digital health devices for psychiatric conditions including ADHD during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The current environment is hard for any child. Increased stress and upended schedules and routines have a direct impact on our cognition, increasing our distractibility and making it harder to stay focused and to be organized,” said Scott Kollins, Ph.D., professor of psychiatry, director of the ADHD Program at Duke University School of Medicine. “For children with attention issues associated with ADHD, their daily challenges are exacerbated and many of their support systems are no longer accessible.”

Akili is releasing ENDEAVOR to families with children diagnosed with ADHD and struggling with chronic attention issues. For a limited time, Akili is providing access to ENDEAVOR to those who qualify at no cost.

“At Akili, we’ve been steadfast in our commitment to build a future where effective medicine is not only easily accessible but also can treat patients in an entirely new and engaging way,” said Eddie Martucci, Ph.D., chief executive officer of Akili. “During this time of increased need, we’re proud to be able to immediately offer our new clinically validated digital medicine experience to the ADHD community.”

While often underrecognized in the face of more overt externalizing symptoms of ADHD, inattentiveness experienced by many children living with ADHD can be substantial.

“The impact of inattentiveness on functioning in children with ADHD is apparent to me on a daily basis in my practice. It affects making and keeping friends, completing tasks, building confidence and succeeding in school. In a clinical trial setting, I’ve seen ENDEAVOR have positive impacts on these areas, and my hope is that this intervention could play a valuable role as part of an integrated and comprehensive treatment approach for children with attentional challenges,” said Raun Melmed, M.D., behavioral pediatrician and director of Melmed Center, Scottsdale, Ariz. and author of a series of books on mindfulness for children including “Marvin’s Monster Diary: ADHD Attacks!”

ENDEAVOR is the centerpiece of the Endeavor Treatment System care program, which includes ENDEAVOR, Akili Assist personal support services, and the ADHD Insight companion app, designed to help parents track and better understand changes in their child’s behavior over time. Easily accessible from home, ENDEAVOR is downloaded from the App Store by families on their mobile devices and does not require any additional equipment.

Driven by the core belief at Akili that effective medicine can also be fun and engaging, ENDEAVOR is delivered through an action video game experience. Using ENDEAVOR, patients navigate a character through different worlds while avoiding obstacles and collecting targets to unlock new worlds and receive awards. The captivating experience of ENDEAVOR is designed to drive engagement and compliance.

With neuroscience and technology as its foundation, ENDEAVOR is built on the Akili Selective Stimulus Management engine (SSME) core technology, a proprietary technology designed for the targeted activation of specific neural systems in the brain to treat diseases with associated cognitive dysfunction. SSME presents specific sensory stimuli and simultaneous motor challenges designed to target and activate the neural systems that play a key role in attention function. The technology implements algorithms that adapt in both real-time and between treatment sessions to automatically adjust the difficulty level for a treatment experience that is personalized to the needs of each individual patient. This enables second by second monitoring of patient progress completing the treatment sessions, and continuously challenges each patient to an optimized level, encouraging patients to improve their performance.

Source: Company Press Release