AppliedVR

High-Level Overview

AppliedVR is a healthtech company pioneering immersive therapeutics, a category of prescription digital therapeutics using virtual reality (VR) to treat chronic pain and mental health conditions. Its flagship product, RelieVRx (formerly EaseVRx), is the first FDA-authorized at-home VR treatment for chronic lower back pain (CLBP), indicated as an adjunctive therapy based on cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and evidence-based methods for patients aged 18+.[2][5][6] The company serves patients, healthcare providers, and health systems—trusted by over 200 leading systems and used by ~60,000 patients—solving the limitations of traditional pain management by offering drug-free, neuroplasticity-promoting care that empowers sustainable relief beyond opioids.[1][5] With FDA Breakthrough Device Designation and de novo Class II approval, AppliedVR builds clinical evidence, real-world data, and partnerships to scale VRx into a "virtual reality pharmacy in every home."[1][2][5]

Origin Story

AppliedVR was founded in 2015 by Matthew Stoudt (CEO), Josh Sackman (President), and David Sackman (Chairman) in Los Angeles, California.[2][4] Stoudt brought expertise in digital media entrepreneurship, while Sackman drew from healthcare-tech ventures and his personal experience as a pediatric patient with chronic pain, inspiring a mission to make pain manageable through human-centered VR technology.[4] At the time, VR showed academic promise for behavior change but faced hardware barriers in usability and cost; the founders bridged this gap by focusing on therapeutics.[4] Early traction built through rigorous evidence generation, culminating in 2021 FDA de novo approval for EaseVRx—the first VR pain therapeutic—and collaborations like NIDA-funded trials with Geisinger and Cleveland Clinic testing VR as an opioid-sparing tool.[5]

Core Differentiators

• FDA Pioneering Status: First VR-based prescription therapeutic with Breakthrough Device Designation and Class II de novo approval for CLBP; backed by unmatched clinical, real-world evidence (RWE), and health economics/outcomes research (HEOR).[1][2][5][6]
• Product Innovation: RelieVRx delivers an 8-week, voice-guided, hands-free VR program with modules for relaxation, education, mindful escapes, pain distraction, and dynamic breathing—self-administered at home, promoting neuroplasticity via bio-psycho-social approaches.[6]
• Accessibility & Usability: Intuitive, gaze-based interface for limited-mobility users; compliant content distribution, data collection, and dynamic platform; no serious medical conditions required beyond CLBP diagnosis.[5][6]
• Evidence & Partnerships: Radically transparent, entrepreneurial culture with healthcare veterans; trusted by 200+ health systems; ongoing payer studies and trials for broader indications like mental health.[1][3][4][5]
• Holistic Empowerment: Beyond medtech, focuses on drug-free healing, patient-provider empowerment, and paradigm shift in pain care.[3][8]

Role in the Broader Tech Landscape

AppliedVR rides the digital therapeutics and VR healthtech wave, addressing the chronic pain crisis—affecting millions with high costs and opioid dependency—by enabling scalable, at-home, non-pharmacological interventions.[1][5][6] Timing aligns with maturing VR hardware (improved form factor/usability since 2015), FDA's growing acceptance of software-as-medical-devices, and post-pandemic demand for remote care.[2][4][5] Market forces like payer pressure for cost-effective alternatives, HEOR data needs, and opioid-sparing initiatives (e.g., NIDA trials) favor expansion.[5] It influences the ecosystem by setting evidence standards for immersive therapeutics, fostering partnerships with clinics/hospitals, and paving the way for VR in mental health—potentially transforming pain management from reactive drugs to proactive brain retraining.[1][3][9]

Quick Take & Future Outlook

AppliedVR is positioned to dominate VRx with RelieVRx commercialization, pending HEOR studies for payer reimbursement, and trials expanding to acute pain, other chronic conditions, and mental health.[5] Trends like AI-enhanced VR personalization, broader FDA approvals for digital therapeutics, and VR hardware affordability will accelerate growth toward ubiquitous "VR pharmacies." Its influence may evolve from pain pioneer to platform leader, influencing healthtech by proving immersive tech's ROI—ultimately empowering patients to live beyond chronic pain, as its mission promises.[1][2][3]