Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) specialists DexCom and wearable brand company Fitbit will team up to develop a new blood glucose tracking product for people with diabetes.
The initiative will bring together Dexcom’s CGM data and Fitbit’s new Ionic smart watch – which is compatible with both iOS and Android devices – to monitor activity and glucose levels from the users wrist.
James Park, chief executive officer, Fitbit, said: “Our ability to track critical health metrics coupled with Dexcom’s market leadership in CGM present a powerful combination that we hope will help millions of people better manager their diabetes.”
According to the World Health Organization, more than 400 million people across the globe are estimated to be living with diabetes.
Park added: “With Ionic, we are focused on driving positive health outcomes and more health focused tools, and this collaboration is a wonderful example of how we plan to bring that vision to our users.”
The deal isn’t Fitbit’s first life sciences partnership, and the Dexcom deal follows last year’s tie-up with medical device group Medtronic to integrate its CGM mobile app with the company’s wearable.
The future Fitbit-Dexcom device will come armed with a sensor to track a user’s heart rate and detect blood oxygen levels.
Along with the Fitbit’s original capabilities, the Ionic will also feature GPS-tracking and on-device workouts, as well as smart features such as contactless payment, music, and notifications.
Kevin Sayer, president and chief executive officer, Dexcom, said: “The collaboration between Dexcom and Fitbit is an important step in providing useful information to people with diabetes that is both convenient and discreet.
Sayer added: “We believe that providing Dexcom CGM data on Fitbit Ionic, and making the experience available to users to both Android and iOS devices, will have a positive impact on the way people manage their diabetes.”
The companies are set to drive out the product “as soon as possible” in 2018.
