Roche Holding (RHHBY, Financial) has created a video game device for multiple sclerosis patients to perform adapted physical activity directly from home and on a daily basis.
Patients will do rehabilitation under ongoing medical monitoring. Using a dedicated platform, a doctor can closely supervise the patient. The physician also receives data and the patient's progress, the video game's creators say.
The project also involved 12 Italian neurology centers and the Italian Multiple Sclerosis Foundation (Fism).
In performing the exercises with a motion controller, the user is guided by an avatar that he or she sees on the screen of a mini-personal computer. The Ms-Fit, as the video game is called, utilizes the principle characteristics of video games.
The exercises intervene on the posture, balance and breathing, which are common aspects of multiple sclerosis patients. The training is inspired by Pilates.
The tool provides challenge and reward mechanisms for patients. So, it is very important to be aware of the concept of fatigue.
Anna Maria Porrini, medical director at Roche, said that the company is strongly committed to find avant-garde therapeutic solutions and to offer services and technological tools, such as Ms-Fit, for the benefit of multiple sclerosis patients.
A study will now follow to validate the approach.
Roche Holding AG ADR is trading at $27.42 per share on the OTCPK. The stock has a market capitalization of $190.21 billion. The price-book (P/B) ratio is 7.1 times versus the industry median of 2.96, the price-sales (P/S) ratio is 3.39 times versus an industry median of 3.25 and the price-earnings (P/E) ratio is 21.91 times versus an industry median of 26.44.
The stock is down-trending and has fallen 13% so far this year.
(Disclosure: I have no positions in Roche.)
