Dmytro Shymkiv about perspectives of Health Tech

If Ukrainians want to feel the capacities of medicine currently, they may easily join programmes of startups and participate in different research. Dmytro Shymkiv, the chairman of the Darnitsa Groups Board of Directors, expressed this opinion at the panel discussion Health Tech Talk, organised by the European Business Association with the support of the pharmaceutical company “Darnitsa” and Phillips Company.

The top manager asserted that the vigorous development of Health Tech on the cusp of technology, medicine and pharmaceutics have expanded the possibilities to prevent and treat numerous diseases. Today patients are able to choose among multiple instruments for monitoring their health biomarkers – that is where the segment of early diagnostics is being formed now. One more trend – use of the artificial intelligence and machine learning, which allow processing the biodata and the already accumulated knowledge to provide recommendations. This refers to cardiology, condition of muscle tissue, blood pressure parameters, etc.

Shymkiv says that round the clock monitoring of the health status of millions of people will produce an immense database to be analysed by the AI. Using it opens up new possibilities for us. The pharmaceutical company “Darnitsa” is studying the possibility to implement AI to enhance functioning of the business in general and in research concerning the patients behavior in terms of treatment consistency.

Darnitsa management believes it will most probably use the AI in the sphere of in silico research. Meanwhile, there are no relevant well-developed platforms in Ukraine for this kind of studies, therefore company’s specialists are diving into the experience of the USA. One more direction for development at Darnitsa is search for new ways to use the already known molecules.

The chairman of the board of directors highlighted how the Covid-19 pandemic sped up the development of telemedicine. There are startups in Ukraine investing in that direction. In the world its growth has accelerated under the influence of the corona crisis by 35%-40%. A personal contact with a doctor will no longer be the norm, while the primary visit via computer is more likely. This will eliminate one more problem – lack of doctors, which may be seen everywhere in the world. Nevertheless, the right diagnosis is just half of the story. Often patients need lengthy therapy or surgery. Shymkiv reckons this would be the place where in future robots will be used.

Among other important trends out there the Darnitsa Group top manager named the so called personalized drugs – systems used specifically for defining the individual dose and tracking the dynamics of the treatment, which, according to Shymkiv, are already being tested in Ukraine. A trend called Digital therapeutics is also gaining more attention now. This is about not just prescribing medication and procedures, but specific mobile apps aimed, among other things, at monitoring and correction of such psychological conditions as PTSD – Post traumatic syndrome disorder. Such apps are already being used for treating neurosis. They track the sleeping pattern of a patient or with the help of a specially developed game provide a soothing effect to the brain.

Dmytro Shymkiv informed that all the top international pharmaceutical companies have departments working on digiceuticals.Darnitsa Group is not an exception. Its management is researching the startups and possibilities of partnership. Very soon, as the top manager predicts, Darnitsa will be offering not just pills and infusions, but apps capable of curing.