Abbott Laboratories, an American healthcare company, signed a deal with the Danish multinational pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk, to make diabetes management easier by linking technologies of the two companies. The deal will allow integration of insulin dose data from Novo Nordisk‘s pre-filled and connected pens with its FreeStyle Libre mobile app and cloud-based system.
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Although, neither of the companies said when this feature would be available for users, they said that they are “working hard to bring these integrated solutions to patients as soon as possible.”
“Lack of reliable information is a cause of huge frustration for many people with diabetes and their doctors,” said Anders Dyhr Toft, corporate VP of commercial innovation at Novo Nordisk, said in prepared remarks. “Together with partners like Abbott, our connected pens will give healthcare professionals a better understanding of a patient′s individual diabetes management and can help people with diabetes feel more confident in their treatment.”
Abbott’s FreeStyle Libre Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) system reads glucose levels through a sensor that can be worn on the back of the upper arm eliminating the need for routine finger pricks. Through the FreeStyle LibreLink app users can capture and view their real-time glucose levels, their eight-hour glucose history, and how their glucose is currently changing on their smartphone. Prior to the mobile app, people using Abbott’s FreeStyle Libre CGM had to use a separate device to connect data from the sensor to their phones, reports Drug Delivery.
“It is our aim at Abbott to continuously provide life-changing technology to people living with diabetes,” Jared Watkin, SVP of Abbott’s diabetes care division, added.
“Diabetes is a time intensive condition to manage. People with diabetes must make a variety of decisions every single day about their glucose monitoring, nutrition, insulin and medication intake. By enabling insulin dosing data from Novo Nordisk′s connected pens to be shared with our digital health tools, we′ll be able to help further eliminate those daily hassles for people, so they have more time to live a fuller, healthier life,” Watkin said.
In November last year, Abbott won FDA approval for a mobile app that is designed for the company’s FreeStyle Libre continuous glucose monitoring system.
