According to International Diabetes Federation, 387 million people had diabetes in 2014 and by 2035 this will rise to 592 million. Other key findings include:
- 77%of people with diabetes live in low- and middle-income countries
- 179 million people with diabetes are undiagnosed
- Diabetes caused 9 million deaths in 2014
- Diabetes caused at least 612 billion dollars USD in health expenditure in 2014
Diabetes management and control has become of utmost importance and so has the need to provide a cost effective solution that helps reduce management expenses. One of the ways of managing diabetes is using Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) solutions. CGM is a way to measure glucose levels in real-time throughout the day and night. A tiny electrode called a glucose sensor is inserted under the skin to measure glucose levels in tissue fluid. It is connected to a transmitter that sends the information via wireless radio frequency to a monitoring and display device. The device detects and notifies the patient if glucose is reaching a high or low limit. Currently available wearable solutions are not only large and bulky but are also expensive.
DexCom in collaboration with LifeSciences division of Google have entered into an agreement to develop a series of next-generation CGM products that are designed to be smaller and less expensive than existing technologies. These new products will incorporate Google’s miniaturized electronics platform with DexCom’s sensor technology. Companies plan to develop a low-cost, small, bandage-sized sensor that is connected to the cloud. The products will be designed to be disposable, and will be intended for use across all diabetes markets. Main focus of initial products will be to minimize both the cost and size of CGM body worn components. The product is expected to empower patients to control their disease with real-time information.
This collaboration provides an opportunity to better utilize the data generated by these CGM products to significantly improve the outcomes and reduce the costs associated with diabetes care.