Portland digital health startup wins FDA approval for device to help Parkinson's patients
File Photo / Tim Greenway
Owen McCarthy, left, and Brian Harris are co-founders of MedRhythms Inc., a Portland-based biotech startup.
MedRhythms, a Portland-based digital health startup founded in 2013, has won approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for a device to help Parkinson’s disease patients improve their walking, mobility and motor function.
The company, led by co-founders Brian Harris and Owen McCarthy, has pioneered a technology platform that uses music, technology and sensors to improve walking, mobility and related functional outcomes. Harris serves as CEO, with McCarthy as president.
With the FDA’s green light, MedRythms aims to introduce a prescription-only device branded as Movive in select U.S. markets in the second quarter of this year.
"This listing allows us to market the device, so no further work is required on the regulatory front," Harris told Mainebiz.
Two years ago, MedRhythms launched another device called InTandem to improve walking and movement in chronic stroke patients using "prescription music" recordings from Universal's extensive catalog.
Widespread disease
Nearly 1 million Americans have Parkinson’s disease, making it the second-most common neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer’s, according to the Parkinson’s Foundation. The number is expected to rise to 1.2 million by 2030.
The disease is associated with a progressive loss of motor control, such as shaking or tremors, as well as non-motor symptoms such as depression and anxiety. There is no cure for Parkinson’s, and nearly 90,000 new cases are diagnosed every year in this country.
McCarthy said in a social media post that he and Harris founded the company believing deeply in technology's power to transform health care.
"Proud to see this vision become reality, bringing innovative care within reach for people across Maine and beyond — especially those in rural communities like the ones we grew up in, who deserve greater access to life-changing treatments," he wrote.
Harris and McCarthy were honored on the Mainebiz Next list in 2018 for their contributions to Maine's economy.
MedRhythms is developing a pipeline of digital therapeutics across a range of neurological conditions.
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