Technology solutions are key to the future of diabetes—especially personalized, “smart” connected tech. So says Sanofi, which for the past several years has pushed digital, integrated diabetes efforts on its own, through its joint venture Onduo, and more recently with Verily and Sensile Medical. At the recent Advanced Technologies & Treatments for Diabetes (ATTD) meeting in Berlin, Sanofi updated its progress and outlined its ambitions for connected technology in diabetes.
Onduo, the joint venture between Sanofi and Verily begun in 2016, debuted its virtual diabetes clinic one year ago and now has more than 4,600 Type 2 diabetes patient users in the U.S. The effort looks to use technology to bridge the gap between doctor visits and help patients manage their diabetes daily with connected glucose monitoring devices, personal coaching, education and advice through its digital platform.
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“It is not just about developing a platform supporting the daily management of diabetes, it’s about a test and learn process by bringing quickly to the people the support that they need, ensuring that the adoption process is easy for them and improving solutions as time goes,” Nicolas Kressman, Sanofi senior media relations officer, North America, said in an email interview.
In June, Sanofi unveiled another partnership effort, this time with Verily and Sensile Medical, to develop an all-in-one insulin patch pump. The pump is primarily for patients with Type 2 diabetes and will be the first patch pump on the market that significantly reduces the steps needed to get started.
Sanofi is also working on its own and with partners on a “complete portfolio of disposable and reusable connected insulin pens,” Kressman said.
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“We believe that with the proper usage of technology, digital solutions, data and drugs we can improve the life of people living with diabetes if we succeed to integrate this solutions in the life of people with diabetes, in the practice of HCPs and in the healthcare system,” he said.
Sanofi isn’t alone in its connected tech efforts in diabetes. Novo Nordisk is set to debut its first connected pens that can sync dosing data with digital platforms under new deals with partners Dexcom, Glooko and Roche. Eli Lilly also announced its own push for smart diabetes devices more than a year ago.
