Biogen (BIIB) is discovering ways to use fitness trackers to gather data from people who suffer from multiple sclerosis (MS). It recently completed a study of 250 patients in collaboration with PatientsLikeMe. The study reflects both the hope and current shortcomings of digital health at the moment.

"Impaired mobility affects more than 90 percent of people with MS, but the quantified assessment of their walking ability tends to be limited to clinical settings. Sensors could give physicians a more accurate assessment of the level of activity of these patients if they were willing to wear activity trackers between appointments," said Ms Naomi Fried, vice-president of medial information and innovation at Biogen in a statement.

According to the company, "The initial takeaway from the study is that it needs to use devices with more sophisticated sensors to quantify movement accurately and consistently. Current technology is not built to provide consistent and validated data in MS. We are early in the process, but hope to have progress in the coming months."

The data from the study will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's annual meeting next month.