Jolly Good and Teijin Pharma Form a Partnership to Develop VR Digital Therapeutics for Depression

Jolly Good Inc. and Teijin Pharma Ltd. have signed a business partnership agreement to develop VR digital therapeutics for Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). Together, they will promote the development of VR DTx for depression, aiming for PMDA regulatory approval.  

Background of this agreement

This all started when Jolly Good won "Home Healthcare Award" in a program held by Teijin in Dec., 2020. Focusing of Jolly Good's development of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy VR ("CBT VR") for psychiatric disorders, this partnership will leverage Jolly Good's VR technology and Teijin Pharma's expertise in knowledge and strategic skills. They have agreed that they can support healthcare workers as well as improving the quality of life of patients.

From now on, Jolly Good and Teijin Pharma will continue to develop the system and perform clinical trials to register for PMDA regulatory approval.

About Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy ("CBT") is a psychotherapy supporting patients to change their thoughts and behaviors by talking to a therapist. This therapy is based on the theory that your cognition on how you perceive things affects your mental and behavior pattern. CBT has been used as one of the options for non-medical treatment. 

Our developing CBT VR for depression will be used as a supplement to the actual face-to-face therapy, supporting parts such as emotional behavior or bias of perspective. Not only will it improve the effectiveness of the treatment, but it will also lessen the burden of both healthcare workers and patients.

What is a DTx division

Jolly Good established "DTx division" in April this year, consisting of psychiatrist, regulatory specialists, and business producers familiar with VR training for people with developmental disorders. This division will focus on developing the fundamental system of digital therapeutics using VR.

DTx division will expand their pipeline to other psychiatric diseases and lifestyle diseases using the fundamental system of VR DTx.  

About Jolly Good Inc.

Jolly Good is a medical technology company that develops high-precision VR solutions and AI-based medical and welfare services that analyze user behavior in the VR space. Using technologies such as VR and AI, the company is accelerating human growth and social rehabilitation in medical education, support for persons with disabilities, treatment of mental illness, and so on, as well as developing services to support the evolution of medical care and finding purposes in life, in collaboration with various research institutions and companies.

About the Teijin Group

Teijin (TSE: 3401) is a technology-driven global group offering advanced solutions in the fields of environmental value; safety, security and disaster mitigation; and demographic change and increased health consciousness. Originally established as Japan's first rayon manufacturer in 1918, Teijin has evolved into a unique enterprise encompassing three core business domains: high-performance materials including aramid, carbon fibers and composites, and also resin and plastic processing, films, polyester fibers and products converting; healthcare including pharmaceuticals and home healthcare equipment for bone/joint, respiratory and cardiovascular/metabolic diseases, nursing care and pre-symptomatic healthcare; and IT including B2B solutions for medical, corporate and public systems as well as packaged software and B2C online services for digital entertainment. Deeply committed to its stakeholders, as expressed in the brand statement "Human Chemistry, Human Solutions," Teijin aims to be a company that supports the society of the future. The group comprises more than 170 companies and employs some 20,000 people across 20 countries worldwide. Teijin posted consolidated sales of JPY 853.7 billion (USD 8.0 billion) and total assets of JPY 1,004.2 billion (USD 9.4 billion) in the fiscal year that ended on March 31, 2020.