In this interview, we enter the world of Digital Therapeutics (DTx), a new form of treatment that becomes more and more attractive. We discussed with Charlotte Puechmaille, Country Manager of Kranus Health France, how France is providing a clear regulatory framework for these solutions and how the company benefits from the concentration of key actors in Paris Region’s ecosystem.

Can you tell us about Kranus Health and what is your role in it?

Kranus Health is a company developing digital therapies (DTx) in the field of urology. These are 12-week programs based on the guidelines of the European Association of Urology to treat certain disorders and pathologies. In Germany, we already have two reimbursed DTx for men's urology health and have a roadmap in female incontinence and uro-oncology.
I work as the Country Manager in France for Kranus Health, and my role is to launch and develop the activity of Kranus Health in France and to obtain reimbursement for our first therapy in France.

What do Digital Therapeutics bring to the healthcare landscape?

Today, we understand that some pathologies can be treated through a behavior change, that includes physical activity, mental support, and more. With DTx, you can provide a specific program that was clinically validated to treat a pathology from patient's homes. We believe it is a new form of efficient therapy, that can, for example in the case of urology, be more adapted given the sensitive nature of these issues.

What inspired Kranus Health to expand its operations to Paris Region?

Our first therapy in Germany benefited from the fast-track reimbursement process called (DiGA). The deployment of a similar process in France with PECAN (Prise en charge anticipée numérique) supported our choice to develop our activities in France as it facilitates our development.
Another reason is that we are backed by a French VC firm named Karista.
When it comes to choosing Paris Region, I believe that for digital health right now, Paris is the center of everything because it brings together all the key players: public authorities, investors, startups, and doctors.
There is no equivalent cluster in France for digital health than Paris Region.

Can you tell us a bit more about PECAN?

In France, you have different reimbursement pathways for innovative medical devices, and recently, France launched the PECAN program to allow early access to reimbursement for therapeutic digital medical devices or remote medical monitoring activities. It is dedicated to companies with preliminary clinical evidence, and it gives access to one year of derogatory reimbursement while finalizing the demonstration of clinical and/or organizational benefits.

Have you been able to establish some partnerships with the local ecosystem?

Being based at PariSanté Campus allows us to interact with many startups that develop similar products or that are active in digital health.
In addition, since the beginning of our activity in France, we have met with more than 300 doctors (urologists and sexologists) so we can promote the advantage of DTx and get advocates for our therapies when they obtain reimbursement.

In recent years, we saw a lot of new initiatives emerge in Paris Region around digital health, could you tell us why did you decide to establish at PariSanté Campus and what does it bring to your project?

What convinced me about PariSanté Campus is that it is a place where you have all the actors (institutional, research labs, business associations, and startups). And since the digital therapeutics (DTx) industry is still in its early development, to have this concentration of actors and all these events around digital health puts us at the heart of the ecosystem.

Besides, in terms of exposure to the European ecosystem, it is amazing to see the number of European delegations and institutions that visit us.

How did Choose Paris Region support you in your expansion journey? What service was most valuable to your company?

Well as a German company establishing in Paris Region, it made total sense for us to collaborate with Choose Paris Region. They helped us find a location for our offices here, as we wanted to be in an ecosystem surrounded by innovators in the field of digital health.

After the creation of the company in France, we also wanted to find financial incentives that would accelerate our development and Choose Paris Region helped us to understand what we were eligible for.

Last but not least, can you describe Paris Region in 3 words?

Innovative, Complete, and Dynamic