Earlier this month, facing an increasingly precarious situation, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) joined forces to address the ongoing Adderall shortage. Technically, neither organization has the power to compel pharmaceutical companies to produce mixed amphetamine salts, but in the face of skyrocketing diagnoses for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in the pandemic era of telemedicine, they wanted to reassure the public that they were looking into potential alternatives to stimulant medications. In a joint statement, the agencies acknowledged that while they were actively working with the pharmaceutical industry to address the shortages, the FDA did approve a "game based digital therapeutic" to address ADHD symptoms in children back in 2020. While it's unclear whether digital therapeutics can replace stimulants entirely (they probably can't), it is clear that people want options beyond amphetamines. And this summer, digital medicine company Akili Interactive dropped the first "over-the-counter" digital therapeutic for managing ADHD symptoms in adults, using the same technology underlying their previously FDA-approved prescription video game for kids.

A screenshot of Neurogrow, which tests a patient's memory and reaction time as an experimental treatment for cognitive decline. A screenshot of Neurogrow, which tests a patient's memory and reaction time as an experimental treatment for cognitive decline. The neurologist said Pam Stevens' cognitive impairment couldn't be treated. She and her husband, Pete Stevens, were told to give up hope. "On two separate occasions, over a two-year period, the neurologist said there was nothing we could do," said Pete Stevens.

A new video game is just what the doctor ordered, at least for some kids. For the first time, the Food and Drug Administration has approved a prescription video game. Now, physicians may prescribe Akili Interactive's EndeavorRx, formerly known as Project EVO, to children between the ages of 8 and 12 who struggle with ADHD. The game challenges users to dodge obstacles and collect targets as they navigate icy winter wonderlands and lava rivers, guided by aliens who zip around on flying saucers. The developers say the game stimulates neural systems that are intrinsic to attention function.