Earlier this month the German government added two programs by Selfapy – one supporting patients with binge eating disorder, and one supporting those struggling with bulimia nervosa – to its DiGA directory after the courses successfully completed the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices’ (in German: Bundesinstitut für Arzneimittel und Medizinprodukte aka BfArM) assessment procedure.
The DiGa database is essentially a collection of regulated digital health products reimbursed via the government’s fast-track program. Per definition DiGAs are CE-marked medical devices of risk class I or IIa, whose main function is based on digital functionalities and whose medical purpose is achieved by way of this digital function. So essentially digital therapeutics as we like to call them around here.
Bulimia and binge eating are the most common eating disorders in Germany. Women are more likely to struggle with eating disorders than men. It is estimated that 28 out of 1000 women and girls will struggle with binge eating, while 19 out of 1000 will experience bulimia.
The Selfapy binge eating online course is a digital application for those affected by binge eating disorder. The course imparts methods and techniques based on cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and supports the implementation and documentation of the exercises with the aim of improving the user’s symptoms. Selfapy’s course targeting bulimia nervosa is similar. Both courses cost €540.00 for the first 90 days.
