Smartphone app for treating depression launches in UK
Ella Day | June 17, 2025 | News story | Clinical & Scientific, Freelancers | NHS trusts, Psychiatry, Rejoyn, digital therapeutics, major depressive disorder, mental health
Otsuka and Click Therapeutics have launched Rejoyn, a prescription digital therapeutic for major depressive disorder (MDD), in the UK. The smartphone app is designed to be used alongside existing treatments and is currently being deployed within select NHS Trusts, with broader uptake anticipated over the coming year.
Rejoyn delivers a six-week cognitive training programme that aims to improve emotional regulation by strengthening neural connections in brain regions affected by depression. This approach differs from other digital therapies that typically focus on cognitive behavioural therapy.
The treatment is supported by results from the MIRAI clinical study, which evaluated the app’s effectiveness in patients with MDD who were already receiving antidepressant medication. Compared with a sham control, those using Rejoyn experienced greater reductions in depression severity, as measured by the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale. Improvements were also seen on the Patient Health Questionnaire and Clinical Global Impression – Severity scale. Continued symptom improvement was observed up to week ten, suggesting a durable treatment effect.
Approximately one in six UK adults will experience moderate-to-severe depressive symptoms in their lifetime, with prevalence rising in recent years. Despite available treatments, nearly half of patients do not respond adequately to current therapies.
“Rejoyn is a prime example of how new technologies can complement existing approaches to care,” said Ryan Gynne, managing director at Otsuka UK.
The UK launch is Rejoyn’s first in Europe and forms part of Otsuka and Click’s global expansion strategy for digital therapeutics.
Ella Day
17/6/25
This article featured in: July 2025 – The Pharmafile Brief
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