CureApp's Fully Online Smoking Cessation Program "ascure卒煙" Selected for Ikoma City's Smoking Cessation Project for the 5th Consecutive Year

CureApp Inc. (Headquarters: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO, MD: Kota Satake) is pleased to announce that its health promotion program "ascure卒煙," provided to corporations and municipalities, has been selected for Ikoma City's smoking cessation project for the fifth consecutive year.

(*"ascure卒煙" = Ascure Sotsuen)

Ikoma City actively promotes "passive smoking prevention and smoking cessation support" to prevent diseases caused by smoking and passive smoking. In addition to setting passive smoking prevention as a use for its hometown tax donation program, the city introduced CureApp's "ascure卒煙" program starting in fiscal year 2022.

The target audience for this program includes residents, employees, and students within the city. User surveys from previous years have shown many voices indicating that "app utilization" and "counseling by instructors" led to successful smoking cessation.

"ascure卒煙" guides users to quit smoking through careful dialogue, combining a doctor-developed app (non-medical device) with one-on-one online consultations by instructors with medical qualifications and specialized education in smoking cessation. Furthermore, it supports smoking cessation over a six-month period by combining this with physical support through smoking cessation aids delivered to the user's home.

◆What is ascure卒煙?

"ascure卒煙" is a fully online mobile health program for smoking cessation, developed by leveraging CureApp's expertise in developing therapeutic apps (medical device programs). It offers an innovative smoking cessation solution by combining "doctor-developed app (non-medical device) × online instruction × home delivery of OTC smoking cessation aids" to address the challenges faced by traditional smoking cessation clinics and programs.

Traditional smoking cessation clinics require five visits over three months, posing a significant time burden. Moreover, participants had to rely solely on their own efforts between appointments, and this "lonely battle" became a major obstacle to sustained smoking cessation.

In this smoking cessation program, instructors such as nurses and pharmacists who have received specialized education conduct thorough one-on-one online consultations. Additionally, personalized psychological support is provided 365 days a year through the dedicated app. Long-term support is offered during the 3-6 month period, which is prone to relapse, thereby supporting sustained smoking cessation after the program concludes.

*The services provided by "ascure卒煙" are not medical devices or medical treatments. This program and its dedicated app are not medical devices and do not perform "treatment or diagnosis."

◆Overview of the "ascure卒煙" Ikoma City Smoking Cessation Project

Target Audience: Individuals who meet all of the following criteria:

- Aged 20 or older, residing in or commuting to/attending school in Ikoma City.
- Willing to challenge themselves to quit smoking (excluding those wishing to reduce smoking or only smoke when drinking).
- Able to use a smartphone app.
- Currently not receiving treatment at a smoking cessation clinic.

Capacity: 30 people (on a first-come, first-served basis / new applicants prioritized)

Cost: Free (Internet communication costs will be borne by the participant).

Application: Starting June 12 (Friday) at 12:00 PM, via the application form on the Ikoma City website.

◆About CureApp Inc.

Founded in 2014 by two physicians. CureApp is a medical device manufacturer that researches, develops, manufactures, and sells "therapeutic apps" proven effective through clinical trials, which physicians prescribe to patients in medical settings.

In 2020, it achieved Japan's first*1 regulatory approval and insurance coverage for a disease treatment program medical device operating on smartphones, and the world's first*1 in the field of smoking cessation treatment. Subsequently, in the hypertension field, a therapeutic support app for hypertension became the world's first*2 to obtain manufacturing and sales approval in April 2022 and was covered by insurance in September of the same year. In the alcohol dependency field, a therapeutic support app for reducing alcohol consumption received Japan's first*3 regulatory approval and insurance coverage in September 2025, and is being sold to medical institutions. The company is also developing therapeutic apps for multiple other diseases, including NASH, cancer, chronic heart failure, and chronic low back pain. Additionally, it operates the corporate health promotion service "ascure mobile health program," which has been adopted as a smoking cessation measure by numerous health insurance societies and companies. CureApp has also launched "ascure Dr. Hypertension Treatment."

*1: Self-researched (Survey Month: December 2020) Survey Scope: Therapeutic apps in Japan and nicotine dependency treatment apps worldwide that have received manufacturing and sales approval and insurance coverage.

*2: Self-researched (Survey Month: September 2022) Survey Scope: Therapeutic apps in the hypertension field that have received manufacturing and sales approval and insurance coverage.

*3: Self-researched (Survey Month: September 2025) Survey Scope: Therapeutic apps for alcohol dependency and reduction that have received manufacturing and sales approval and insurance coverage.

The company has received high praise for its design, which serves as a model in the digital therapeutics field for enabling appropriate support in clinical settings, and was awarded the Good Design Award 2024.

CureApp Inc. Company Profile

President and CEO: Kota Satake

Headquarters Location: 4F, Kodemma-cho YS Bldg., 12-5 Nihonbashi Kodemma-cho, Chuo-ku, Tokyo

Business Activities: Development of program medical devices, mobile health related services business

URL: https://cureapp.co.jp/