Wrist-worn device to track Parkinson’s now available to order

WellPD, an approved wrist-worn device that allows people with Parkinson’s disease to monitor both their symptoms and treatment responses at home, is now available for purchase in the U.S. and other countries, including the U.K. and Australia.

Its U.S.-based developer, Empatica, announced the launch of the wearable device and companion app, which was cleared for use by regulators in both the U.S. and the European Union. WellPD is designed to track Parkinson’s motor symptoms, as well as sleep and physical activity, giving patients and their healthcare teams additional information to support treatment discussions, according to the company.

The wearable technology, used alongside the app, also measures treatment responses with daily summaries — “helping people understand how their symptoms fluctuate, recognize changes around medication doses, and discuss these patterns with their care teams,” Empatica stated in a press release detailing the device’s availability.

“When evaluating patients, clinicians need to understand their daily life at home — how they sleep, respond to treatment, and manage symptoms,” said Alessandro Di Rocco, MD, a neurologist and system director for Parkinson’s and Movement Disorders at Northwell Health in New York.

Di Rocco added: “Objective insights from wearable technology provide this vital context, complementing patient feedback to enable more informed care and tailored treatments.”

On the website, the WellPD Starter Pack lists the device at a cost of $219, with the app subscription starting at $14.90 per month. The starter pack includes a stretchable band and a USB cable charger.

Recommended Reading

Jan. 10, 2024 News by Mary Chapman

Wearable device prevents freezing of gait in Parkinson’s patient

Motor symptoms in Parkinson’s include tremor, muscle stiffness, and slowness of movement. Symptoms can fluctuate throughout the day, particularly as medications take effect or begin to wear off. Such fluctuations can make it difficult for patients to accurately report changes during medical appointments or to recall any specific periods when treatments aren’t working as expected.

WellPD device continually collects movement data

WellPD is designed to help address these challenges by continuously collecting data on movement and other body signals, according to Empatica.

Clinically validated algorithms process these signals to generate measurements of motor symptoms, sleep, and activity. Daily summaries are then produced to simplify the data — and spare patients the need to remember every detail.

Users can also record their medications and treatments, helping them identify patterns, such as changes in movement following a dose or associations between impaired sleep and symptoms.

Per Di Rocco, “digital wearables can transform a complex mix of symptoms into clear, accurate, and actionable data.”

The developer says the information generated may also help family members and caregivers better understand and support their loved ones, while giving clinicians an accurate view of symptoms outside the clinic.

Digital wearables can transform a complex mix of symptoms into clear, accurate, and actionable data.

WellPD combines Empatica’s wearable technology with the Parkinson’s monitoring technology developed by PKG Health, which Empatica acquired in 2025. The lightweight device weighs about 11 grams, about as much as a pencil, has a stretchable fabric band designed for added comfort, and provides two weeks of battery life.

According to the company, its PKG algorithms are supported by more than 70 peer-reviewed publications and are used in more than 150 hospitals and clinical sites worldwide. This technology has also been used in research investigating disease progression, treatment responses, and digital measures for clinical trials, per Empatica.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration cleared the monitoring platform for use in Parkinson’s through the 510(k) pathway, which establishes that a medical device is substantially equivalent to a legally marketed device. The technology also has CE certification, which means that it meets certain requirements set out in the EU.

WellPD is now available to order in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the U.K., the U.S., and several EU nations. However, per the website, the device is not available for purchase in certain U.S. states, specifically Alabama, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Montana, North Dakota, and Utah. A compatible smartphone is required for its use.