HEALTH
THE FUTURE 100 182
An emerging class of techceuticals is pressing play on the future of health
management. Doctors are prescribing video games and virtual reality (VR)
to treat conditions such as brain fog, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Prescription gaming
The newest way to administer medication? Via a screen.
In November 2021, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the VR
therapy EaseVRx as a prescription treatment for chronic back pain. In October 2021, the FDA also approved a VR-based treatment for children with the visual impairment amblyopia, also known as lazy eye.
In April 2021, digital therapeutic company Akili Interactive partnered with Weill Cornell Medicine, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, and Vanderbilt University Medical Center to evaluate the EndeavorRx video game as a treatment for
COVID-19 patients experiencing brain fog. Originally created to treat ADHD in
children, EndeavorRx made history in June 2020 as the first ever prescriptionstrength video game approved by the FDA. Akili Interactive states that after
