Patient Engagement, Pharma

Roche acquires mySugr, a digital health business that wants “to make diabetes suck less”

The acquisition fits into a growing trend of pharma and medical device companies adding services supporting patient engagement both to quantify and improve the effectiveness of their drugs and devices and to gain additional insight from their customer base.

mySugr logbook app

Roche has taken its worldwide collaboration with mySugr to the next level by acquiring the Austrian digital health business. The company has set itself apart from others by trying to balance fun graphics with the fundamental information needed for the arduous task of managing a chronic condition with the frank goal “to make diabetes suck less”.

The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

mySugr’s logbook app guides users to enter relevant information on meals, exercise, glucose levels and mood. It automates tracking through connected devices and estimates HbA1c statistics. Users 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 print or email their log to their physician so they can check out their health between appointments. Another component of the app does insulin dose calculations through a Bolus calculator.

Last year, mySugr’s deal with Roche added the pharma company’s bluetooth-enabled Accu-Chek Connect meter to the pool of medical and digital devices mySugr’s app uses to sync user data.

The acquisition fits into a growing trend of pharma and medical device companies adding services supporting patient engagement both to quantify the effectiveness of their drugs and devices and to gain additional insight from its customer base.

The pharma and diagnostics company said in a news release that mySugr will become an integral part of Roche’s new patient-centered digital health services platform in diabetes care. The acquisition helps bolster Roche’s position in diabetes management.

“We are excited about this agreement, as we will be able to offer seamlessly accessible patient solutions within an open platform to better respond to the unmet needs of people with diabetes. Our aim is to support people with diabetes to spend more time in their ideal glucose target range and improve their quality of life,” Roche Diagnostics CEO Roland Diggelmann said in the statement. “Having partnered with mySugr since 2014, we see an excellent cultural fit, as both our companies are passionate about taking diabetes management to the next level and making a difference in managing diabetes.

Frank Westermann, mySugr’s cofounder and CEO, who has Type 1 diabetes, said in an interview in 2015 that the launch of the company in 2012 with Fredrik Debong, who also has diabetes, Michael Forisch, and Gerald Stangl came about because they wanted to improve the ability to adhere to diabetes therapies through their smartphones. They have since grown their user base to more than 1 million. The U.S. is its largest market and the business has offices in San Diego as well as its headquarters in Vienna.

In a blog post about the acquisition the company said it would remain independent and “will still be calling the shots”. The company will also continue to work with Medtronic and Abbott to record glucometer readings from their devices.

In 2015, mySugr raised $4.8 million from Roche Venture Fund and iSeed Ventures in San Francisco and Beijing. Other investors in the business include angel investor Hansi Hansmann, XLHealth and the Püspök investor group.

Photo: mySugr

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