Boston-based therapeutic extended reality platform XRHealth has acquired virtual reality digital therapeutics company RealizedCare, which combines digital therapeutics with wraparound virtual services to supply value-based chronic care management. 

XRHealth offers medical extended reality (XR) experiences focused on the physical and cognitive space, including immersive environments designed to reduce pain perception during medical procedures and enable occupational and physical rehabilitation, as well as cognitive training and behavioral therapy. 

The company also offers treatment environments to assist with behavioral therapy, such as PTSD, stress, addiction and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).  

RealizedCare, which was formed in 2023 as a result of a merger between VR behavioral health platform BehaVR and virtual chronic care-management company Fern Health, is a digital care management platform for chronic pain powered by digital therapeutics.  

RealizedCare's offerings will be integrated into the XRHealth offerings, which the company says will add scientifically proven methods to its portfolio that help manage chronic pain and behavioral health conditions. It will also introduce RealizedCare's triage tool aimed at optimizing personalized patient care. 

XRHealth says that thanks to the acquisition, it is now the "largest AI-driven therapeutic XR platform worldwide." 

Aaron Gani, RealizedCare founder and CEO and chairman of the board of directors at the Digital Therapeutics Alliance, will become general manager of XRHealth U.S.  

"We are thrilled to become a part of XRHealth’s groundbreaking digital therapeutics platform," Gani said in a statement. "By integrating our triage tool with XRHealth’s cutting-edge XR and mixed reality capabilities, we can expand access to evidence-based, value-based care solutions, helping more individuals manage chronic pain and mental health conditions."

THE LARGER TREND

In November, XRHealth announced it acquired NeuroReality, a cognitive training virtual reality platform. The acquisition included all of NeuroReality's assets, including its flagship rehabilitation product, Koji's Quest.

In 2023, XRHealth acquired Barcelona-based Amelia Virtual Care, a VR platform for mental health professionals. The company allowed providers to connect directly with patients via the platform but has since pulled out of the direct-to-provider space. 

XRHealth secured $6 million in funding last year, two years after scoring $10 million in funding. In 2020, the company garnered $7 million in funding and a $450,000 grant from the Israeli Innovation Authority to provide hospitals in Israel with telehealth services to combat the effects of COVID-19. 

In 2022, BehaVR merged with Oxford University spin-out OxfordVR, a VR platform for severe mental health issues. The companies united under the BehaVR brand and garnered $13 million in Series B funding to support the merger.

BehaVR and Japanese company Sumitomo Pharma signed a potential $163 million deal in 2021 to develop VR therapies aimed at treating social anxiety disorder, major depressive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder.

The partnership included a ​​multi-DTx deal that was one of the largest collaborations between a pharma company and a VR firm in history.