Cognitive behavioral therapy delivered via digital mobile application for the treatment of type 2 diabetes: Rationale, design, and baseline characteristics of a randomized, controlled trial

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of type 2 diabetes (T2D) continues to rise in the United States and worldwide. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) has been shown to improve glycemic control in patients with T2D, but broad implementation has been limited by inherent access and resource constraints. Digital therapeutics have the potential to overcome these obstacles. HYPOTHESIS: To describe the rationale and design of a trial evaluating the efficacy and safety of a digital therapeutic providing CBT to improve glycemic control in adults with T2D. METHODS: This randomized, controlled, multicenter, Phase 3 trial evaluates the hypothesis that BT‐001, an investigational digital therapeutic intended to help patients with T2D improve their glycemic control, on top of standard of care therapy, will lower hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) compared to a control app across a broad range of patients in a real‐world setting. The study is designed to provide evidence to support FDA review of this device as a digital therapeutic. The intervention is provided within the digital application (app) and includes no person‐to‐person coaching. The primary endpoint is the difference in HbA1c change from baseline to 90 days for BT‐001‐allocated subjects compared with those assigned to the control app. Safety assessment includes adverse events and adverse device effects. The study incorporates pragmatic features including entirely remote conduct with at‐home visits for physical measures and blood sample collection. CONCLUSIONS: This randomized, controlled trial evaluates a cognitive behavioral intervention delivered via smartphone app which has the potential to provide a scalable treatment option for patients with T2D.