Using Ultraviolet B Phototherapy To Treat Eczema

Zerigo Health, which a connected light therapy solution for treating chronic skin conditions at home or on the go, has released new software that includes integration of the American Academy of Dermatology Guideline protocols for the treatment of eczema with narrowband ultraviolet B (NB-UVB) phototherapy.

Evernorth, Cigna Corporation’s health services business, is the first to launch Zerigo’s solution for both psoriasis and eczema, which will be offered as a pilot program through its digital health formulary, said Zerigo.

“Health plans and self-insured employers are already dealing with rapidly rising specialty drug costs for the treatment of psoriasis, which only affects 3.2% of the population but costs over $20 billion per year with a projected 20% annual growth rate, and now they are facing rising costs for the treatment of eczema,” said John Schellhorn, Zerigo’s president and CEO. Schellhorn added, “Zerigo is uniquely positioned to help health plans and employers address these rising costs with guideline-recommended therapy and wraparound care support that generates positive health outcomes for members at a small fraction of the cost of these expensive drugs.”

With the recent approval of five new specialty drugs indicated for the treatment of eczema and dozens more in development, analysts expect that specialty drug spend for eczema, which affects 7.3% of the US population, will surpass that of psoriasis by the end of the decade.

According to Zerigo Health, its FDA-cleared, natural light therapy solution safely and effectively shifts dermatological care from the clinic to the controlled convenience of home, keeping physicians and their patients with chronic skin conditions connected with personalized data and insights. Patients can easily self-administer clinically proven, American Academy of Dermatology guideline recommended NB-UVB phototherapy using a handheld device and smartphone app. Prescription dosing is controlled via secure cloud-based technology and personalized based on each patient’s response to treatment, helping to ensure that patients treat safely in accordance with their physicians’ prescriptions. Patients are also remotely monitored and provided personal coaching and support throughout their treatment journey.

“The addition of eczema treatment protocols to our offering is one more significant step toward delivering our vision of empowering every person with a chronic skin condition to live confidently through personalized, connected, and cost-effective care,” said Glen Tullman, executive chairman of Zerigo Health, CEO of Transcarent, and Managing Director of 7wireVentures. “At such an exciting time in the company’s development, we are thrilled to collaborate with Evernorth to provide their members suffering from psoriasis and eczema access to the Zerigo Solution to drive better health outcomes at substantially lower costs than the existing alternatives.”

Zerigo Health in October 2021 announced $43 million Series B investment led by 7wireVentures, joined by General Catalyst, Dragoneer, Cigna Ventures, Leverage Health Solutions, and Leaps by Bayer.