The Future of Pharmacotherapy Plus PDTs

The CONVOKE trial demonstrated significant improvements for patients across multiple symptom domains within just 16 weeks of treatment. Using a comprehensive 16-item negative symptom assessment scale designed specifically for the study, patients showed improvements in primary negative symptoms as well as secondary measures including positive symptoms, depression, and cognitive function. These improvements occurred in patients who had been ill for 15 to 18 years, suggesting that digital therapeutics can provide meaningful benefits even for patients with chronic, long-standing illness.

Future applications will likely extend beyond the 16-week trial period, recognizing that patients with schizophrenia require lifelong treatment approaches. Clinicians anticipate that successful patients will continue using modified versions of digital therapeutics indefinitely, similar to ongoing medication management. The assessment tools may evolve to include self-administered or family-administered components, allowing patients and their loved ones to monitor progress and provide feedback to health care providers between clinical visits.

The ideal future treatment approach for patients with schizophrenia will combine pharmacotherapy with prescription digital therapeutics from the outset of treatment. This combination approach shows particular promise for patients who are reluctant to take medications, especially during early stages when diagnostic certainty is still developing. Even patients who initially refuse medications might accept digital therapeutics, provide some therapeutic benefit while maintaining engagement with the health care system. For patients willing to use both modalities, clinicians anticipate significantly better outcomes than either treatment approach used alone.