An update on CT-155: the schizophrenia app clears another hurdle
If you’ve read Connected Care, you already know CT-155, the prescription app being developed to treat the “negative symptoms” of schizophrenia. These are the low motivation, withdrawal, and flatness that so many of us see at home, and that medication rarely helps. The full Phase 3 results have now been published in JAMA Network Open. In the CONVOKE trial of 457 people at 66 U.S. sites, CT-155 used alongside antipsychotics beat a control app on its main measure at 16 weeks, with no serious side effects from the treatment. The number I keep coming back to is that 70% of participants stayed with it, averaging about 45 minutes a week. Anyone who has tried to get a loved one to stick with anything knows how much that matters. CT-155 already has FDA Breakthrough Device designation, and Click Therapeutics has new funding to bring it to market. It isn’t available yet. When it is, the next question for families will be whether insurance covers it.
When depression doesn’t respond: what to know about TMS
A Houston psychiatry practice announced this week that it’s building an in-office program for transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). It’s a good reminder that options exist when antidepressants haven’t worked. TMS uses magnetic pulses to stimulate specific areas of the brain. It’s non-invasive, needs no anesthesia, and is done in outpatient sessions. The FDA first cleared it in 2008 for people whose depression didn’t improve on medication. For families dealing with depression that comes with psychosis, the conversation needs more care. TMS is one option among several, including electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), and the right choice depends on the whole clinical picture. Good questions to bring to your loved one’s psychiatrist: Is TMS appropriate given the psychotic symptoms? How would it fit with current medications? What does insurance require before it will pay? The Mayo Clinic’s overview is a clear place to start.
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