Daewoong Pharmaceutical announced on the 22nd that it has signed an exclusive domestic sales and commercialization agreement with digital healthcare company Emocog for "Cogthera," South Korea’s first digital therapeutic device for mild cognitive impairment (MCI), alongside "Cogscreen," a digital early cognitive-function screening solution.
The agreement marks Daewoong’s initial venture into the digital therapeutics (DTx) sector. Through this partnership, the company plans to establish an end-to-end cognitive healthcare system in clinical settings, connecting early screening via Cogscreen to clinician evaluation, prescribing, and digital therapy through Cogthera.
Addressing Cognitive Health in a Super-Aged Society
The commercialization initiative comes as South Korea faces a rapidly shifting demographic landscape, having officially entered a super-aged society in 2024 when the population aged 65 and older surpassed 20%. According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare's "2023 Dementia Epidemiology Survey," MCI prevalence among seniors reached 28.42%, up 6.17 percentage points from 22.25% in 2016. With the total number of dementia patients projected to top 1 million in 2026, healthcare providers face a growing need to identify cognitive decline early at the MCI stage and connect patients to structured care.
Under the agreement, Daewoong Pharmaceutical will oversee exclusive sales, marketing, and commercialization across medical channels, including hospitals, clinics, public health centers, and government institutions. Emocog will remain responsible for product supply, quality control, technical support, and patient support programs.
Voice-Guided Therapy and Web-Based Screening
Cogthera is a prescription-only mobile app designed for patients to complete cognitive intervention training twice daily over a 12-week course. To accommodate older patients who may be unfamiliar with digital devices, the app utilizes an interactive voice-guided interface. Approved by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety in May 2025 as the country’s seventh digital therapeutic device—and the first approved specifically for MCI—Cogthera was also designated as Innovative Medical Device No. 35.
To complement the therapeutic device, Cogscreen serves as a standardized early screening tool based on international clinical metrics. Users can complete the 5-minute evaluation via a web link without downloading an app. While not a standalone diagnostic tool for dementia, Cogscreen provides clinicians with preliminary data to detect cognitive decline and support subsequent clinical evaluation.
Clinical Evidence and Prescribing Momentum
Since its initial prescription in October 2025, Cogthera accumulated 2,400 prescriptions through the end of August 2026. Among an elderly patient demographic with an average age of 73, the post-prescription training initiation rate reached 99.3%. In May 2026, the device was temporarily listed as a non-covered benefit under the National Health Insurance system.
The efficacy and safety of Cogthera were evaluated in a randomized controlled clinical trial involving MCI patients across seven medical institutions in South Korea, with results published in the international journal JMIR mHealth and uHealth.
"This agreement marks Daewoong Pharmaceutical’s entry into digital therapeutic devices and serves as a launching pad for expanding our digital healthcare business into cognitive health," said Lee Chang-jae, CEO of Daewoong Pharmaceutical.
