Roche has followed up its venture arm’s strategic investment in Austrian diabetes management app developer mySugr with a global deal to sync its bluetooth-enabled Accu-Chek Connect meter with mySugr’s app, according to a statement from the pharmaceutical and diagnostics company . The marketing collaboration between Roche Diabetes Care and mySugr will be rolled out on a country by country basis, starting with Germany and Austria, followed by the U.S. market in a few weeks. The deal reflects a broader trend of partnerships between big pharma and medical device companies with digital health businesses.
mySugr’s apps are intended to strike a balance between relevant and important information for its users with colorful graphics and a gaming component. Its Logbook app, a class 1 medical device, has more than 600,000 registered users around the world. It automates tracking through connected devices and estimates HbA1c statistics.
The app also directs users to enter relevant information on meals, exercise, glucose levels and mood. They are prompted to use a camera phone to take pictures of snacks. It uses “a diabetes monster” avatar to alert users when they make poor food choices, based on their glucose levels. It also lets users share their log with their physicians so they can monitor health between appointments.
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One component of Logbook does insulin dose calculations through a Bolus calculator. Although this component has been approved for use in Europe, it has not yet been submitted to the FDA for approval in the U.S., according to mySugr spokesman Scott Johnson.
In addition to Roche, mySugr has also partnered with medical device companies such as Medtronic and Abbott outside the U.S. to record glucometer readings.
In an interview with mySugr CEO and Co founder Frank Westermann last year, he said the company planned to submit its app to the FDA for 510(k) clearance last fall.
Big pharma companies such as GSK and Boehringer Ingelheim have worked with digital health businesses like Propeller Health to track medication adherence for patients with asthma and COPD to quantify the effectiveness of their drugs or flag up medication issues for patients.
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