These Withings devices will rebranded as Nokia by early summer.
Less than one year after Nokia acquired Withings for $192.3 million, the telecommunications company will commit more forcefully to Nokia as a digital health company with a rebranding of Withings to Nokia early this summer, according to a company news release. The move was part of a series of new developments at the business, which will include a new connected device platform called Patient Care and a redesigned Health Mate application. The announcement was made ahead of the Mobile World Congress conference in Barcelona, Spain today.
Patient Care is an Internet of Things platform used to support remote monitoring by clinicians. The platform syncs with the Health Mate app to share data gathered from the patient’s use of the company’s wireless blood pressure monitor and body cardio scale. Other devices that could be integrated into that platform include a wireless, FDA-cleared thermometer, and smartwatches and activity trackers currently branded as Withings.
The platform is currently undergoing a series of clinical studies in the UK and U.S. The National Health Service in the UK currently uses Nokia’s platform in a 69,000 person clinical program to improve understanding of hypertension and how remote monitoring can be used to reduce hypertension rates. In the U.S., Fairview Health System and the University of Kentucky are also assessing the Patient Care platform.
The redesigned Health Mate app will improve user experiences by making it easier to add devices and share information with family members. The app will also include coaching tools to improve patient engagement.
Nokia’s digital health team is also collaborating with IBM for senior health, Cedric Hutchings, Nokia’s vice president of digital health, said in a phone interview. Nokia is working on ways to use cognitive computing such as integrating cognitive functionality into wearables and smart devices for home care. These voice-activated tools could use simple commands and offer reminders to take medication or turn off appliances.
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.
