BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Pear Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: PEAR), the leader in developing and commercializing software-based medicines called prescription digital therapeutics (PDTs), announced today that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) established a new Level II Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) code to describe Prescription Digital Behavioral Therapy, FDA Cleared, per Course of Treatment including prescription digital therapeutics (PDTs) such as Pear’s reSET®, reSET-O® and Somryst®, the only FDA authorized PDTs for the treatment of substance use disorder (SUD), opioid use disorder (OUD) and chronic insomnia, respectively.
The CMS coding decision below was published on February 16, 2022 and the following code for PDTs is scheduled to become effective on April 1, 2022:
HCPCS Code |
Description |
|
A9291 |
Prescription digital behavioral therapy, FDA cleared, per course of treatment |
|
“We thank CMS for their decision to establish a new HCPCS code to describe prescription digital therapeutics and facilitate options for payers to provide access to these treatment options in response to Pear’s application,” said Corey McCann, M.D., Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Pear Therapeutics. “This is an important reimbursement milestone for healthcare providers, payers and patients, and marks another step towards standard of care for coverage and payment for the PDT category.”
Since the beginning of the pandemic, the United States has seen a rise in substance use disorder, opioid use disorder and chronic insomnia as the pandemic has exacerbated the country’s mental health crises1,2. Payors are seeking safe and effective, FDA-authorized treatment solutions for the well-being of their members. Pear is working with payors to add PDTs as a standard covered benefit, helping to increase accessibility to care for those in need, and creating the opportunity to reduce overall healthcare spending.
PDTs are a new therapeutic class that uses software to directly treat disease. Like traditional medicines, PDTs are developed in a GMP-compliant environment, tested in randomized controlled trials demonstrating safety and effectiveness, evaluated and authorized by regulators like FDA, and used under the supervision of a prescribing clinician3,4. Unlike traditional medicines, PDTs are designed to collect real world data for use by prescribing clinicians and for population health management by payors and health systems.
The CMS decision can be viewed at: https://www.cms.gov/files/document/2021-hcpcs-application-summary-biannual-2-2021-non-drug-and-non-biological-items-and-services.pdf
About Pear Therapeutics
Pear Therapeutics, Inc., which is traded on Nasdaq as PEAR, is the parent company of Pear Therapeutics (US), Inc. Pear is the leader in developing and commercializing software-based medicines, called prescription digital therapeutics (PDTs). Pear aims to redefine care through the widespread use of clinically validated software-based therapeutics to provide better outcomes for patients, smarter engagement and tracking tools for clinicians, and cost-effective solutions for payers. Pear has the first end-to-end platform to discover, develop, and deliver PDTs to patients and a pipeline of products and product candidates across therapeutic areas, including the first three PDTs with disease treatment claims from the FDA. Pear’s product, reSET®, for the treatment of substance use disorder, was the first PDT to receive marketing authorization from the FDA to treat disease. Pear’s second product, reSET-O®, for the treatment of opioid use disorder, was the first PDT to receive Breakthrough Designation. Pear’s third product, Somryst® for the treatment of chronic insomnia, was the first PDT submitted through FDA’s traditional 510(k) pathway while simultaneously reviewed through FDA’s Software Precertification Pilot Program. For more information, visit Pear at www.peartherapeutics.com.
reSET Important Safety Information
Indications for Use:
reSET is intended to provide cognitive behavioral therapy, as an adjunct to a contingency management system, for patients 18 years of age and older, who are currently enrolled in outpatient treatment under the supervision of a clinician. reSET is indicated as a 12-week (90 day) prescription-only treatment for patients with substance use disorder (SUD), who are not currently on opioid replacement therapy, who do not abuse alcohol solely, or who do not abuse opioids as their primary substance of abuse.
It is intended to:
- increase abstinence from a patient’s substances of abuse during treatment, and
- increase retention in the outpatient treatment program.
Important Safety Information for Clinicians:
Warnings: reSET is intended for patients whose primary language is English with a reading level of 7th grade or above, and who have access to an Android/iOS tablet or smartphone. reSET is intended only for patients who own a smartphone and are familiar with use of smartphone apps (applications).
Clinicians should not use reSET to communicate with their patients about emergency medical issues. Patients should be clearly instructed not to use reSET to communicate to their clinician any urgent or emergent information. In case of an emergency, patients should dial 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.
reSET is not intended to be used as a stand-alone therapy for substance use disorder (SUD). reSET does not replace care by a licensed medical practitioner and is not intended to reduce the amount of face-to-face clinician time. reSET does not represent a substitution for a patient’s medication. Patients should continue to take their medications as directed by their healthcare provider.
Patients with substance use disorder experience mental health disease and co-morbid medical problems at higher rates than the general population. Patients with substance use disorder also have higher baseline rates of suicidal ideation, and suicide attempts, and suicide completion. Clinicians should engage in their normal care practices to monitor patients for medical problems and mental health disorders, including risk for harming others and/or themselves.
The long-term benefit of treatment with reSET on abstinence has not been evaluated in studies lasting beyond 12 weeks (90 days) in the SUD population. The ability of reSET to prevent potential relapse after treatment discontinuation has not been studied.
The effectiveness of reSET has not been demonstrated in patients currently reporting opioids as their primary substance of abuse.
This Press Release does not include all the information needed to use reSET safely and effectively. Please see the Clinician Brief Summary for reSET for more information.
reSET-O Important Safety Information
Indications for Use
reSET-O is intended to increase retention of patients with Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) in outpatient treatment by providing cognitive behavioral therapy, as an adjunct to outpatient treatment that includes transmucosal buprenorphine and contingency management, for patients 18 years or older who are currently under the supervision of a clinician. reSET-O is indicated as a prescription-only digital therapeutic.
Important Safety Information:
Warnings: reSET-O is intended for patients whose primary language is English with a reading level of 7th grade or above, and who have access to an Android/iOS tablet or smartphone. reSET-O is intended only for patients who own a smartphone and are familiar with use of smartphone apps (applications). Clinicians should not use reSET-O to communicate with their patients about emergency medical issues. Patients should be clearly instructed not to use reSET-O to communicate to their clinician any urgent or emergent information. In case of an emergency, patients should dial 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.
reSET-O is not intended to be used as a stand-alone therapy for Opioid Use Disorder (OUD). reSET-O does not replace care by a licensed medical practitioner and is not intended to reduce the frequency or duration of in-person therapy. reSET-O does not represent a substitution for a patient’s medication. Patients should continue to take their medications as directed by their healthcare provider.
Patients with opioid use disorder experience mental health disease and co-morbid medical problems at higher rates than the general population. Patients with opioid use disorder have higher baseline rates of suicidal ideation, and suicide attempts, and suicide completion. Clinicians should undertake standard of care to monitor patients for medical problems and mental health disease, including risk for harming others and/or themselves.
The long-term benefit of reSET-O has not been evaluated in studies lasting beyond 12 weeks (84 days) in the OUD population. The ability of reSET-O to prevent potential relapse after therapy discontinuation has not been studied.
This Press Release does not include all the information needed to use reSET-O safely and effectively. Please see the Clinician Brief Summary Instructions for reSET-O for more information.
Somryst Indications for Use and Important Safety Information
Somryst is a prescription-only digital therapeutic intended to provide a neurobehavioral intervention (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia – CBT-I) to patients 22 years of age and older with chronic insomnia. Somryst treats patients with chronic insomnia by improving a patient’s insomnia symptoms.
Safety Information and Warnings
Somryst is not for everyone. Please use your clinical judgement to determine whether Somryst is right for your patient.
- Somryst is not for emergency use. Please instruct patients to dial 911 or to go to the nearest emergency room in the event of a medical emergency.
- Patients should be clearly instructed not to use Somryst to communicate severe, critical, or urgent information to their Health Care Provider.
- Somryst is not meant to be used as treatment without supervision of a Health Care Provider.
- Somryst is not meant to be a substitution for any treatment medication.
- Somryst contains sensitive medical information. Please instruct patients to protect their information by password-protecting their smartphone and tablet, ensuring no one else may access their device.
- Sleep Restriction (and Consolidation) within Somryst can cause sleepiness, especially in the early stages of using the PDT. Somryst should not be used if the patient needs to be alert or cautious to avoid serious accidents in their job or daily life. Examples include:
- Long-haul truck drivers
- Long-distance bus drivers
- Air traffic controllers
- Operators of heavy machinery
- Some assembly line jobs
- The usage data collected in therapy lessons by Somryst are not intended to be used as a standalone assessment of treatment progress.
Note: In the early stages of treatment, increased daytime sleepiness may be expected, but is usually temporary. Please instruct the patient to consult with their Health Care Provider if these experiences do not go away over a few weeks, as it may indicate that they have another sleep disorder or medical condition other than insomnia. Please instruct the patient that if they have trouble staying awake while performing potentially dangerous tasks (like driving) at any point in the treatment, to avoid these dangerous tasks or stop following the sleep restriction component of the therapy. This press release does not include all the information needed to use Somryst safely and effectively. Please see the full Clinician Brief Summary Instructions for Somryst for more information.
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements and projections in this press release may be considered forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Forward looking statements generally relate to future events or involving, or future performance of, Pear. For example, statements regarding anticipated access to Pear’s products are forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as “may”, “will”, “aim”, “estimate”, “anticipate”, “believe”, or “continue”, or the negatives of these terms or variations of them or similar terminology. Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties, and other factors which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward looking statements.
These forward-looking statements are based upon estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by Pear and its management are inherently uncertain. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations include, but are not limited to: (i) delay or reluctance by patients and/or providers to adopt, request or use Pear’s products, (ii) whether Pear’s PDTs will improve healthcare access, (iii) the possibility that Pear may be adversely affected by other economic, business, regulatory, and/or competitive factors; (iv) the evolution of the markets in which Pear competes; (v) the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Pear’s business; (vi) changes in applicable laws or regulations; and (vii) other risks and uncertainties set forth in Pear’s future filings with the SEC. These filings will identify and address other important risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events and results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements.
Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements, and Pear assumes no obligation and does not intend to update or revise these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. Pear gives no assurance that Pear will achieve its expectations. The inclusion of any statement in this communication does not constitute an admission by Pear or any other person that the events or circumstances described in such statement are material.
References:
- https://www.psychcongress.com/article/studies-illustrate-rise-alcohol-illicit-substance-use-during-pandemic
- https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/09/03/coronavirus-sleep-insomnia/
- Campbell ANC, Nunes EV, Matthews AG, et al. Internet-delivered treatment for substance abuse: a multisite randomized controlled trial. Am J Psychiatry. 2014;171(6):683-690.
- Christensen DR, Landes RD, Jackson L, et al. Adding an Internet-delivered treatment to an efficacious treatment package for opioid dependence. J Consult Clin Psychol. 2014;82(6):964-972. doi:10.1037/a0037496.
