http://youtu.be/lu4ukHmXKFU
At first glance the Vessyl seems like yet another toy for the Quantified Self brigade — a cup that tracks the nutritional value of each beverage you consume. The video on Mark One Lifestyle’s website doesn’t do much to correct that notion. But in a phone interview with MedCity News, the company’s vice president of Health Dr. Mark Berman explained that the healthcare applications go well beyond a cup that simply flashes what you’re drinking.
The company’s recent $3 million fundraise this week, highlighted in a Form D on the SEC’s website, will be used to add staff to its team across sales, marketing and engineering as the company prepares for its Vessyl cup to hit the market later this year. It expects to announce a ship date soon for its $119 smart cup.
“Beverages add up over time,” Berman said. “For teens, beverages are the number one source of sugar and added calories. Adults consume 340 calories on average just from beverages like lattes, juice and sodas.”
It’s a tedious process to keep track of all the drinks you’ve consumed throughout a day and then add to that the calorie, sugar, caffeine content. That’s probably why no shortage of calorie counters and wearables are in the market already. But by making a cup that’s also a passive tracking device, the company thinks it will be more likely to be used.
The idea is that by aggregating data on the amount of sugar, caffeine and carbohydrates users are consuming through beverages day-to-day, the device can add a whole new level of insight. It could be used to prevent or better manage diabetes, obesity, eating disorders, chronic kidney disease, kidney stones — a condition that 10 percent of adults develop. If users can be steered to, say, drink more water, stay hydrated it could move drinking habits in a healthier direction, Berman said.
“We see the technology being applied to all consumption-related problems, i.e. what we eat and drink each day,” Berman said. “What we consume and how we live day-to-day has the potential to decrease chronic diseases by 80%. Given that the massive burden of chronic disease accounts for the lion share of our nearly $3 trillion annual health care bill, the list of potential healthcare applications is large.”
A Deep-dive Into Specialty Pharma
A specialty drug is a class of prescription medications used to treat complex, chronic or rare medical conditions. Although this classification was originally intended to define the treatment of rare, also termed “orphan” diseases, affecting fewer than 200,000 people in the US, more recently, specialty drugs have emerged as the cornerstone of treatment for chronic and complex diseases such as cancer, autoimmune conditions, diabetes, hepatitis C, and HIV/AIDS.
Berman noted that it deliberately focused on the consumer health market because connected health is not yet where it needs to be.
“To some degree apps can replace in-person care.” But the company sees the app as a way to enhance these in-person visits — “It has to empower patients and healthcare providers.”
When the smartcups hit the market it will be useful to see its impact on users’ ability to manage chronic conditions or make healthier choices. If the company can demonstrate its effectiveness, payers are more likely to warm up to the devices and even subsidize them.
