For the first time, a video game may be prescribed as medicine in the United States, after approving the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) EndeavorRX to treat symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.
In an Agency announcement (via The Verge), Akili Interactive’s EndeavorRX is the first game in history to be legally considered a medicine in the US, following studies showing that the iOS product could be beneficial for ADHD patients. Doctors will be allowed to prescribe the game to children between the ages of 8 and 12.
It’s worth noting that the Akili Interactive study, conducted by clinicians working for the EndeavorRX developer, concluded that there is insufficient evidence to suggest that this game should be used as a replacement for established ADHD treatments, but what can be used as a complement to existing treatments.
The game, which is only available by prescription (and which you can join a waiting list), allows you to raft down the river in various fantastic places, picking up targets and dodging obstacles. Your character can even be outfitted with several different outfits of a variable selection. You can watch a short trailer for the game to get an idea.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RR8hjBGBac
You can view the FDA press release here, which explains why this landmark decision was made and describes the game as “the first digital therapeutic treatment intended to improve symptoms associated with ADHD.”
“The EndeavorRx device offers a non-pharmacological option to improve symptoms associated with ADHD in children and is an important example of the growing field of digital therapy and digital therapy,” says Jeffery Shuren, director of the Center for Devices and Radiological Health from the FDA.
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