Global ‘Digital Companion’ Apps Aby and Cleo Launched to Support People Living with MS

• Support for anyone living with MS regardless of treatment plan
• Enables individuals to learn more about living with MS, track symptoms and get support with diet, exercise and lifestyle
• Designed using ideas from MS patients, healthcare professionals and advocacy groups

Biogen has pioneered the development of multiple sclerosis (MS) treatments for over two decades. Yet daily life with MS can still be deeply challenging. That’s why we’ve launched digital companions Aby (US and Canada) and Cleo (Europe) to support people living with MS.

MS patients, health care professionals and advocacy groups were requesting a way to get up-to-date, trustworthy MS information, extensive lifestyle support, an easy way to track symptoms and have general questions answered. And they wanted it quick and easy and all in one place.

A mobile app seemed the perfect solution. After extensive development and substantial testing – we collaborated with more than 100 MS patients in various countries — we pioneered Aby and Cleo, twin apps designed for MS lifestyle support. 

The apps encompass the four significant features requested by patients:

1. An updated feed of the latest articles, videos and tips on living with MS – in their native language, and customized to their culture
2. A journal for tracking symptoms, moods and activities in real time. As MS patients tend to see their neurologists an average of twice a year, the tracker also collates downloadable reports, so doctors get a detailed understanding of what happened and when
3. Health and wellness programs, exercises and activities which can be personalized to three levels of intensity
4. And finally, a way to ask general questions about MS via text message conversation

Aby and Cleo are available to anyone, regardless of their treatment plan, and with more than 120,000 downloads worldwide as of December 31, 2018, it’s clear this is something MS patients want.. More than 200 MS patients continue to be involved since the two apps launched and we hope to have the apps available in ten markets by the end of 2019. Health-related matters also require particular sensitivity when it comes to privacy and accordingly we’ve developed a comprehensive privacy policy specifically for these apps to safeguard those concerns. We do not sell any data collected by our software.

So, while our ongoing research may bring us closer to a cure for MS down the road, right now Aby and Cleo are here, with 24/7 support, for anyone living with MS.