Verily, the life science arm of Google parent company Alphabet, has received an FDA clearance for its Study Watch’s on-demand EKGs feature, according to a company blog post.
The prescription-only device has the ability to record, store, transfer and display single-channel EKG rhythms.
Verily launched the Study Watch in 2017 and has tested it in research efforts like Project Baseline and the University of North Carolina’s AURORA Study which is meant to better understand the recovery process for those who have undergone a traumatic event.
“Unobtrusive biosensing through devices like Study Watch and other mobile health tools is an important new approach to understanding what happens in the body at any given moment in time, and can provide insights into how our bodies stay healthy or change and adapt with disease,” the company wrote in a blog post.
Wearable devices have gained increased interest from researchers looking for a passive method to collect real-world longitudinal health data that is more consistent and accurate than self-reported metrics.
While the Study Watch was designed as investigational tool, it’s likely the company will integrate features developed on the device onto its more consumer-oriented offerings. Google recently paid $40 million for smartwatch technology developed by Fossil that will function within the company’s Wear OS software ecosystem.
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.
Since Apple’s made a big splash about the EKG features on its Apple Watch 4 device, a number of other wearables companies have pushed further in the regulated medical device space with similar EKG capabilities.
Case in point, French company Withings announced its Move smartwatch at CES, which can take EKGs and has an estimated 12 months of battery life. The device is currently under FDA review.
“By relaunching Withings what we want to do is position ourselves as a preventive health helper to show that we’re a part of this revolution in health which is to take care of ourselves in our daily lives,” Withings Founder Eric Carreel said last year.
Picture: Verily
