Chronic disease management company Omada Health is continuing to round out its offerings with newly available FDA-cleared and cellular connected blood pressure cuffs and glucometers.
The San Francisco, California-based company is touting the integration of these new devices onto the Omada platform as a way for users to easily upload real-time vital readings to better inform health advice given by the company’s health coaches.
Any patients who are clinically recommended to self monitor blood pressure or blood sugar will be offered the new devices, which will also be bundled with free test strips in the case of the glucometer.
The new devices are part and parcel with the programs launched by the company last year to help support the treatment of patients with hypertension and Type 2 diabetes, which expanded Omada’s capabilities past diabetes prevention. The company already offers a connected scale as part of its diabetes prevention program.
Prior to the release of these new devices, Omada’s model depended on users to use their own devices. While consumers will still have that option, the company said it wanted to offer the new technology to enable users a more streamlined experience.
“Our approach – at all levels of our program – is to provide a unique flexibility that matches the unique circumstances of our participants, while always following clinical best practices,” Omada VP of Medical Affairs Carolyn Bradner Jasik said in a statement.
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.
“Participants in the Omada program build deep relationships with their coaches; enabling automatic cellular uploading of glucose and blood pressure data will enable those coaches to provide guidance informed by a wide range of data and insights – helping support the best possible health outcomes.”
Leading Omada competitor Livongo initially started out in diabetes management and has offered connected blood sugar monitors since its launch. The company unveiled a cellular-enabled blood pressure cuff last year as it also expanded into hypertension.
More recently, Livongo has bolstered their connected blood pressure monitor with new voice capabilities enabled by Amazon Lex and Amazon Polly that can provide health recommendations if necessary.
Both Omada and Livongo started in one disease indication and in the midst of rapidly branching out into other programs in order to offer a more fully-fledged solution to their employer customers.
This, in turn, has led to similar product development roadmaps as evidenced by the Omada’s entry into behavioral health with Lantern’s technology, followed shortly by Livongo’s acquisition of Denver-based myStrength.
Picture: Omada Health
