Medtronic, Samsung Linking Devices And Apps For Chronic Pain Management

By Jof Enriquez,
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Medtronic and Samsung are expanding their partnership to make access to health data between medical and consumer mobile devices seamless for patients. The two companies announced a similar collaboration on diabetes management in June, and this time, they are partnering on chronic pain management and other conditions treated by neuromodulation therapy.

Presented recently during the North American Neuromodulation Society (NANS) Scientific Session in Las Vegas, the agreement calls for Samsung and Medtronic to jointly develop digital health solutions for people suffering from chronic pain, movement disorders, incontinence, and similar conditions addressed by neurostimulator implants and drug delivery systems, the companies said. With their expertise in consumer electronics, Samsung will develop Android mobile-based tools that can receive and process health data from Medtronic's neuromodulation systems in real-time, making clinical management more effective and truly collaborative.

"Medtronic is committed to solving healthcare challenges, and through this alliance we intend to create efficiencies by developing digital solutions that connect patients and healthcare providers in real time," said Tom Tefft, senior VP and president of Neuromodulation, Medtronic, in a statement. "Medtronic has a track record of developing meaningful patient innovations, and this collaboration is the first step to providing more personalized patient care and arming patients and physicians with the best consumer-relevant technologies."

Samsung and Medtronic announced a similar agreement in June to co-develop Android smartphone apps that pull data from Medtronic's MiniMed 530G and Revel insulin pumps and continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) devices. The companies believe that increasing connectivity between medical devices and smartphones and tablets encourage diabetics to become more engaged in managing their condition, which has seen new cases in the United States triple from 493,000 in 1980, to more than 1.4 million in 2014, according to figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

"Samsung is applying its deep understanding of how people use technology to bring new innovations to healthcare," said Dave Rhew, chief medical officer and head of Healthcare and Fitness for Samsung Electronics America, in the statement. "These future solutions will help better manage the health of patients by providing them with advanced, easy-to-use tools that securely deliver real-time data to their physicians."

Medtronic, in a separate but analogous deal with diabetes management startup Glooko, also is linking its insulin pumps and CGMs to Glooko's FDA-cleared device data aggregator platform. The device giant is forging these types of partnerships in a bid to move beyond manufacturing diabetes devices and sensors into becoming a more well-rounded diabetes solutions company.