Bayer to acquire app managing IBS symptoms with diet, medicine and psychology

Bayer will acquire German-based HiDoc Technologies in Spring 2025 and commercialize the company’s digital health application, Cara Care, for patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). The app consolidates therapeutic modules that patients can define themselves, focusing on holistic health with options for pharmacological treatment, dietary recommendations and psychological components.

Cara Care is the first prescribed digital health application for IBS patients. It helps patients better understand their condition, gain control over their symptoms and achieve a better quality of life. Bayer says the acquisition will enhance its portfolio and set new standards for digital therapeutic solutions. 

Nutrition Insight discusses the app’s potential for IBS patients with Aquil Harjivan, head of front-end innovation at Bayer Consumer Health. “This acquisition will be a new milestone in our precision health strategy and complement the other partnerships we have in this important and rapidly growing space.”

“IBS is a common yet complex condition, and we know that many patients struggle to understand and manage the symptoms fully. Guidelines recommend multimodal therapeutic approaches, and Cara Care’s personalized, evidence-based approach represents a valuable addition,” he adds. 

Harjivan says the app helps consumers seeking treatment beyond medication. “This digital therapeutic for IBS is based on cognitive behavioral therapy, patient education and dietary advice, clinically proven to relieve IBS symptoms, and delivers on the medical need for an integrated approach to effectively managing IBS.” 

Managing IBS symptoms

IBS is a considerable burden for patients as treatment is often difficult, with a complex underlying pathophysiology and varying symptom patterns and severities among patients. 

The Cara Care app is based on German clinical treatment guidelines, which recommend a multidisciplinary model that includes plant-based medicine, psychology and dietary recommendations. It can be used in addition to or as a follow-up to patients’ existing therapies. 

“IBS is a complex condition and can be influenced by many different factors. A holistic approach empowers sufferers with a range of therapeutic options to help them better manage their symptoms,” says Harjivan. 

The app includes diet and psychology elements, offering a personalized modular setup based on medical questionnaires. It contains features such as symptom tracking and personalized recipe ideas. 

The Cara Care app adds to existing therapies by combining medicine, dietary and psychology recommendations.The app also helps patients cope with disease-related challenges in daily life and addresses anxiety and depression symptoms, which are not commonly integrated into clinical practice. 

“Some foods can trigger IBS or make symptoms worse, yet many sufferers are unclear of the connection between their food intake and their condition,” explains Harjivan. “By offering symptom tracking and recipe ideas, Cara Care can help sufferers better understand their trigger factors and empower them to manage their symptoms better.”

Research also indicates that pre-, pro- and postbiotics may support IBS symptoms. Sirio Pharma recently developed a GummiBiotics IBS Ease gummy with ADM’s proprietary ES1 postbiotic, which helps moderate some symptoms of diarrhea-dominant IBS and reduces occasional diarrhea.

Jim Mapes, the CEO of HiDoc Technologies, adds: “Many people are looking for ways to become more self-reliant, and that applies to healthcare as well. Digital health applications are a good way of providing holistic, sustainable therapeutic approaches. This was always our goal for Cara Care, and it is also in line with Bayer’s vision of ‘Health for all, Hunger for none.’” 

Digital health benefits

Germany has established a Digital Health Application (DiGA) program to integrate digital therapeutics into its healthcare system. Professionals can prescribe digital applications included in the program’s directory, which are eligible for reimbursement through health insurance. 

Harjivan says the DiGA reimbursement program is a “pioneering framework for prescription digital therapeutics.” 

“The acquisition will provide us with new insights — all while offering an additional treatment option to people who suffer from this complex condition.”

Earlier this week, we discussed Bayer’s advances in precision health for longevity with Harjivan. He shared his interest in unlocking digital therapeutics and detailed that AI and digital transformation are key to precision health.