Cara Care® is the first Healthcare Professional-prescribed digital health application for irritable bowel syndrome. It provides personalized 12-week programs, including low-FODMAP dietary guidance, symptom tracking (food, pain, stool), gut-directed hypnosis, and support to reduce symptoms and improve quality of life.

Objectives

• Irritable bowel syndrome affects approximately 11 percent of the population in Germany and represents a considerable burden for these patients. Treatment is often difficult because the underlying pathophysiology is complex, and symptom patterns and severity vary from patient to patient. In addition to pharmacological therapy, such as plant-based self-care like Iberogast®, the current German S3 guideline recommends a multimodal, multidisciplinary therapeutic model comprising additional components, such as cognitive-behavioural therapy and dietary recommendations.
• Cara Care® is the first Healthcare Professional-prescribed digital health application for irritable bowel syndrome and offers patients with IBS a novel, holistic approach. The app integrates multidisciplinary approaches for the treatment of gastrointestinal symptoms such as stomach and irregular bowel movements. Based on the recommendations of the S3 guideline, Cara Care® provides an educational model with information on the condition and evidence-based support in non-pharmaceutical therapeutic areas, including diet and psychotherapeutic options, along with personalized therapy plans for sufferers.

Target Audience

• Patients diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)

Key Activities and Approach

• For patients, Cara Care® offers an individualized, tailor-made, evidence-based therapy based on medical questionnaires and enabling a personalized modular setup. Additional features, such as tracking and personalized recipe ideas, help patients with their therapy.
• The digital health application also explains psychological co-morbidities such as anxiety and depression, which often cannot be taken into consideration in everyday clinical practice.
• Treatment with Cara Care® is time- and location-neutral and represents a valuable addition or follow-up to existing therapies while allowing the user a very patient-centric, self-driven, and individualized treatment approach. It also helps patients cope with daily-life challenges related to the disease.

Impact and Result

Cara Care® plays a crucial role in Bayer’s healthcare professional (HCP) management, with strong growth trajectory rates of 75–80%. Growth in 2026 is expected to be even steeper, demonstrating the significant need for effective IBS treatments and the openness of HCPs to innovation with impact:

• Targeted support in patient care with minimal additional effort, including the promotion of independent therapy in patients’ everyday lives; bridging waiting times (e.g., for endoscopy or psychotherapy), and symptom relief with improved quality of life.
• Expansion of the treatment repertoire to include innovative therapy options, strengthening the external perception of Bayer as progressive and holistic.
• Promotion of health literacy: fewer secondary and future illnesses; presumably fewer doctor visits and lower costs for the healthcare system; cost and time efficiency.

Cara Care® became part of Bayer in March 2025, benefiting from Bayer’s deep digestive health expertise and the halo of Iberogast. This new field of digital therapeutics reinforces Bayer’s strength in innovation and its vision to help more people live healthier lives.

Insights and Takeaways for Others

• 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, empowering patients to take their health into their own hands.
• In a healthcare environment of increasing cost and complexity with a shortage of HCPs and long waiting times, this innovative form of treatment offers a cost-efficient yet very effective multi-modular approach to treat IBS effectively and sustainably.

Additional Resources and Contact

• Website: https://cara.care/en
• Campaign contact: ch.communications@bayer.com

Disclaimer: This initiative is included as part of a broader brand awareness campaign.