J&J's LifeScan, WellDoc Partner On Mobile Type 2 Diabetes Management Solutions
Johnson & Johnson’s (J&J) LifeScan announced a new partnership with Baltimore-based startup WellDoc, a developer of mobile solutions for Type 2 diabetes patients, aiming to integrate the mobile technology into LifeScan’s glucose monitors. As part of the deal, J&J has also joined a Series B round of financing for WellDoc, alongside Merck Global Health Innovation and venture capital investment firms.
When WellDoc launched BlueStar in 2013, the technology was the first mobile prescription therapy for Type 2 Diabetes that was both cleared by the FDA and eligible for insurance reimbursement. The app, which is only available with a prescription, prompts patients to test their glucose levels at regular intervals and provides real-time motivational and educational coaching to help patients self-manage their Type 2 diabetes. According to WellDoc, the system “provides the patients’ physicians with clinical decision support and enables them to efficiently extent care beyond traditional office visits.”
One of the biggest challenges in treating Type 2 diabetes is training patients to change their lifestyle, and previous diabetes tracking apps have not been very effective. But, in a 2011 BlueStar clinical study, researchers observed among patients using the system a 1.9 percent drop in hemoglobin A1C levels, a key indicator of blood glucose control, versus a 0.7 percent drop in the control group. Amit Rajvanshi, a family physician who participated in the study, told IEEE Spectrum that system “is more effective than the medications we can prescribe.”
LifeScan recently introduced the OneTouch Verio Flex blood glucose monitoring system, which incorporates a color-range system that makes the results easier for patients to interpret, said LifeScan in a press release. The device is also equipped with BlueTooth technology that can wirelessly connect to apps on both Apple and Android smart devices. Through the collaboration with WellDoc, LifeScan seeks to incorporate BlueStar into this system.
Val Ashbury, worldwide president of LifeScan, commented that BlueStar had been shown to improve health outcomes, which advanced LifeScan’s goal of developing and integrating innovative technology. “By working together, we look forward to advancing new solutions,” said Ashbury.
In January, the Baltimore Sun reported that WellDoc raised $22 million from a second venture capital round, led by Samsung Ventures and Merck Global Health Innovation Fund. Other investors included Adage Capital Mangement, Excel Venture Management, Alexandria Venture Investments and Hudson River Capital Partners. With the addition of J&J’s recent investment, that figure has jumped to $29.5 million, though neither company commented on how much J&J contributed to the total investment.
Kevin McRaith, CEO of WellDoc, commented that the development agreement with LifeScan is “the start of an important relationship” and a “significant step forward for our company,” according to a WellDoc press release.
Last August, the company announced a partnership with the publicly funded Ontario Telemedicine Network, which would prescribe BlueStar to 300 patients to test its long-term efficacy and economic value.
The American Diabetes Association estimates that 29 million Americans have diabetes, and 8.1 million remain undiagnosed. Type 2 diabetes represents between 90 and 95 percent of all diabetes cases.