Dive Brief:
- Swiss drugmaker Roche has acquired digital diabetes management platform mySugr for an undisclosed sum, making it an integral part of its patient-centered diabetes services strategy, FierceBiotech reported.
- Based in Vienna, Austria and San Diego, mySugr combines diabetes coaching, therapy management, unlimited test strips and automated data tracking and provides feedback to help people manage their blood sugar. The app is available in 52 countries and 13 languages.
- Roche has partnered with mySugr since 2014. Under the deal, mySugr will remain a separate legal entity with an open platform for all diabetes devices and services. Users will be able to upload information about their blood glucose from any device into the mySugr logbook app. Data can also be shared with doctors and caregivers.
Dive Insight:
From tech giants to startups, companies are scrambling for a piece of the diabetes treatment and management pie. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 30 million Americans — or nearly 10% of the population — are currently living with diabetes and one in three could have the disease by 2050. In other words, it’s an opportunity companies are watching and developing products for in hopes of future growth.
Companies offering up solutions range from online specialty medical clinic Virta Health to digital health company Omada Heath and One Drop, a subscription-based mobile blood glucose monitoring system.
And there has been a wave of news showcasing how the space is heating up as companies make their plays. Apple has been reported to look into entering the space while pharmaceutical giant Merck and Amazon Web Services launched a contest for developers to channel artificial intelligence for Type 2 diabetes in April. Last December, CVS Health announced the Transform Diabetes Care program to assist pharmacy benefit management clients. The program, which launched early this year, uses data analytics to offer personalized care strategies for diabetes patients, with the goal of reducing overall spending.
Through a partnership with Medtronic, Watson Health gained access to de-identified data from 10,000 type 1 diabetes patients and was able to predict with up to 81% accuracy a hypoglycemic episode four hours in advance.
The space is still new enough where product development hasn't equated to widespread product adoption yet though this will be a space to watch as the market matures.