Health IT, Top Story, Payers

Livongo adds Humana as strategic investor, bringing Series C round to $49.5M

Humana made Livongo’s integrated diabetes management available to some of its members in the first phase of the partnership.

Livongo HealthAs the final piece of a Series C round that it raised last month, consumer focused connected health business Livongo said it received strategic investment from Humana, bringing the amount raised in the Series C to $49.5 million.

Humana made Livongo’s integrated diabetes management available to some of its members in the first phase of the partnership. It combines a connected glucometer consumer-focused technology with personalized coaching.

Humana agreed to a merger with Aetna last year, a move that could make Livongo’s technology available to a still larger group of users. In addition to Humana, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts also became an investor in the Series C round.

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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.

Livongo’s connected glucometer uploads readings online and it provides data analytics. It can inform the user’s care team and their social network when blood-glucose levels fall outside of the norm. It can also give coaching insights based on users’ data. The company’s approach is designed to make it easier to integrate technology into the lives of people with chronic conditions.

In a phone interview last month with Livongo CEO Glen Tullman, who also once led Allscripts, he ticked off three criteria that healthcare solutions had to meet to be successful. “It has to be a product that people will love or else they will stop using it. It has to have measurable results and it has to save money. If you can’t deliver savings, there’s no point.”