AliveCor CEO Priya Abani argues that Apple has made a habit of taking intellectual property from smaller medical device firms in order to improve the functionalities its Apple Watch. She also believes that Apple has been able to avoid taking accountability for this by “bombarding” smaller companies with litigation it knows they won’t be able to afford — a claim that medical IP lawyers have backed up.
Apple makes a case that it is a pioneer in the health technology field in a nearly 60-page report. It's received criticism in the past for not doing enough in health tech compared to competitors.
A study published in Circulation showed that the Apple Watch’s ECG detected some arrhythmias other than atrial fibrillation. The device is currently cleared to take ECGs and general irregular pulse alerts, which could indicate potential cases of atrial fibrillation.
Apple has integrated with 700 providers for its health records app. But it faces a similar challenge to other health records projects that have failed in the past: patient uptake.
With a number of testing or vaccine pass apps being developed, Apple said it will only accept ones that are being developed in conjunction with test kit manufacturers, laboratories, healthcare providers or other entities recognized by public health authorities.
Biogen plans to launch a virtual study with Apple this year to identify early signs of mild cognitive impairment. The study is expected to launch in the second half of 2021.
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.
The payer will offer its Motion well-being program members access, at no additional cost, to Apple Fitness+ workout classes for six months.
Google rolled out a Health Studies app, a rival to Apple's research app. To start, it will offer a study on respiratory illness in conjunction with Harvard Medical School and Boston Children’s Hospital.
In a Thursday blog post, officials shared that the app’s “risk threshold” had been lowered to account for exposure to people when they are most infectious. The update was supposed to take place when the app was launched in late September.
The University of California Irvine will conduct the virtual study, that was designed with Apple. It will look at how devices such as an Apple Watch or iPhone could be used to help patients with asthma self-manage their condition.
Munck Wilson Mandala Partner Greg Howison shared his perspective on some of the legal ramifications around AI, IP, connected devices and the data they generate, in response to emailed questions.
The companies announced they would no longer require public health authorities to develop their own apps, but will instead offer exposure notification directly through users’ phones. The service is still opt-in.
Alabama, North Dakota and South Carolina were the first states to announce plans to develop contact tracing apps that would use a framework developed by Apple and Google. Apple and Google launched their exposure notification API on Wednesday.
Apple and Google are rolling out a framework for local governments to develop contact tracing apps. But epidemiologists say apps alone won’t be enough.
The two tech rivals said they would work together to launch a Bluetooth-based platform that would alert users if they had come into contact with someone who had been diagnosed with Covid-19.
A slew of grassroots efforts have popped up across the U.S. to make or donate protective equipment that is desperately needed by front-line medical workers. But it’s still a drop in the bucket.
