Roche has beefed up its diabetes digital health services, launching a lifestyle management programme for patients in the UK and Ireland.

The OurPath programme was developed by two Oxbridge graduates to help people live healthier lives and prevent, or reduce the symptoms of, type 2 diabetes.

OurPath has previously been offered either through the start-up’s own website or through small-scale NHS trials via GP surgeries in London. These have seen participants lose an average of 7kg, a level of weight loss that’s associated with a 50% reduction in the risk of developing diabetes.

The programme offers participants the ‘latest tech’, from activity trackers, wireless scales and mobile and desktop apps, support from a mentor and ‘the knowledge to make a lasting change’.

Roche will align the service with its blood glucose monitoring brand Accu-Chek, branding the programme as OurPath in partnership with Accu-Chek, and is aiming big for its roll-out.

The firm said it wants to put more than 750,000 people in the UK through the programme, in the process potentially saving the NHS £525m.

Mike Gibbs, president of OurPath, said: "The challenge of the 21st century is behavioural change. The diseases that are affecting us the most and crippling global healthcare economies are the ones caused by our own unhealthy lifestyles.

“Lifestyle change programmes like OurPath are critical to help improve the nation's health and get people changing their behaviours for the long term."

The deal will see Roche Diabetes Care hire and train OurPath health coaches, as well as market the programme across the country.

Beyond that the pharma firm will also look at ways to increase access to the programme through the NHS and eventually plans to roll it out on a global scale.

Brett Lewis, general manager of Roche Diabetes Care UK & Ireland, said: "I'm delighted to announce our new partnership with OurPath, whose innovative programme is already demonstrating some fantastic results. We are looking forward to a successful future together."

The digital health partnership follows Roche's acquisition of smartphone-based diabetes management platform mySugr earlier this year, integrating it into its new patient-centred health services in diabetes care arm.

Apps and services from mySugr combine diabetes coaching, therapy management, unlimited test-strips and automated data tracking. They can be integrated with a number of medical devices and Roche will keep it running as an open platform for all diabetes devices and services, irrespective of their manufacturer.