Sanofi launches iPhone glucose monitor, diabetes coaching
Article in FiercePharma, 3/29/2012
Sanofi seems to be listening to the woe-is-pharma's-business-model talk from industry experts. As consultants and management gurus urge drugmakers to shift away from simply selling drugs--and toward a broader, health-outcomes approach--the French company ($SNY) has launched a blood-sugar monitor that comes with data analysis and patient counseling services.
Not only that, the new monitor hooks into the mobile world: It's an attachment for iPhones and iPads. The iBGStar is a one-inch-wide version of Sanofi's BGStar standalone monitor. It plugs into the Apple gadgets, and delivers results via an app that tracks and graphs blood-sugar levels, and can collect relevant information about carb consumption, exercise and insulin doses. Patients can check out interactive reports and email the whole shebang to their doctors.
Today, Sanofi is launching an accompanying website, StarSystem, that offers the usual educational articles and videos found online, but also provides health coaching for patients using the company's glucose monitors. There's 90 minutes of telephone counseling, plus 6 months of online coaching. The idea is for patients to come up with a plan for diet, exercise, and so on, and to track their activities over time.
Tags: cell, mobile, technology
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Gary on -
Ha what a joke. They invested nearly $350 mil in Curedm's Pancreate back in 2010 which was going to regenerate insulin producing cells and they never did anything with it. These pharmaceutical companies are clueless about diseases and what it's like living with them. Let's keep making gadgets to sell as people lives are crumbling.
-
Permalink Reply by jrtpup on -
Sounds like a great step forward Emily, thanks for sharing it! Now the question is... is it available? In the US? Glad to hear there is work on better tech.
-
Permalink Reply by acidrock23 on -
I think this sort of thing may be what's needed, a more informal yet perhaps more readily available "dialogue" than is vailable through medical providers with maybe more credibility than a message board full of wierdos named acidrock and negative ions, well ya' know?? Managing the big stram of data effectively is a big thing but I haven't seen a lot of accounts that doctors are any better than we are at getting it. I think that a lot of people who struggle suffer from systemic problems like insurance or evil "4 strips/ day" doctors and have a hard time breaking out of that. Even a medium sizedd pile of data from a program like this, with the backing of a pharmaceutical company like this might go a long way towards getting proof needed to shut up the "don't test a lot" bozos for good.
-
Permalink Reply by Stemwinder on -
I think I would still put more stock in the wierdo's like Acidrock and the like than I would in anything put out by big pharma.
-
Permalink Reply by acidrock23 on
-
In a certain sense, "our" interests are the same as "big pharma" in that we understand the need for tools to manage diabetes which they want to sell "us" and/or our insurers/ national health care systems. We don't really have the resources to fight insurers who cite "Medicare standards" of 4 strips/ day to haggle us down from what I feel should be more like 12-14 tests/ day. A company like Sanofi will have access to more data to build a case for us. I think of working to start a large, class action suit every January when I get the "4 strips" letter from BCBS. There doesn't seem to be a solid case. If Sanofi is willing to work to help people and, perhaps, compile some data or run studies of their own, I'm all for it. Although I have to say, I'm not sure what they make?
-
Permalink Reply by BadMoonT2 on -
Sanofi makes Apidra and Lantus. The technology for the meter was invented by AgaMatrix a US company that makes WaveSense meters, which I use and like. I believe they also did the software. This approach has potential I hope something useful comes of it.
-
Permalink Reply by jrtpup on
-
Just curious... what is it about the WaveSense meters that you like? I know they advertise that they are more accurate....
-
Permalink Reply by BadMoonT2 on
-
They do advertise being more accurate. According to their website the Presto meter is +- 10% of the reference reading 93.3 % of the time with the reference <= 75 mg/ dl. Don' t know how that would compare to other brands.
To answer your question the reason I use WaveSense is the cost of the strips. My insurance pays nothing on my strips so this is important to me. The last strips I got were $28 for 100
-
Permalink Reply by acidrock23 on
-
Thanks BadMoon. It will certainly be amusing if their findings include "you should ditch 'log and try some Apidra...". I dunno about the meter accuracy business. They could perhaps make some arguments there. For me, meter size is the crucial factor but I'm on vacation on a slim connection so I'll have to wait until we get home to read up on them.
-
Permalink Reply by timmy on -
is still astonishes me test strips are so expensive for you guys. In australia strips are about $15 for 50. Mind you, we have a choice of 3 pumps total. Omnipod? forget about it!
-
Permalink Reply by clouder on -
i just got mine in the mail thanks to fellow diabetic Val, from Quebec. ?Since i don't have the test strips yet, will get on monday, loaded the past two weeks into my phone and there is the chart, graphs, analysis, averages etc. can't wait till have the strips, no longer need to carry my larger heavier meter, can email my results anywhere and it keeps track of 300 entries. you can add notes, regarding daily issues. love that i can get a quick glance of my sugars, highlights my lows in different colours.
since my phone is with me always, so is my meter.i did go online and signed up for the 90 days of free support, it seems to be things that you would learn if you went to a diabetes educator, but sometimes just seeing it again and using as a refresher helps
Advertisement
REsources
Groups
From the Diabetes Hands Foundation blog...
Congratulations Diabetes Advocates Scholarship Recipients!
The Diabetes Hands Foundation and Diabetes Advocates Program is proud to announce and congratulate the members of DA who were granted scholarships to attend diabetes conferences in 2013! Thanks to a generous grant from Novo Nordisk, in 2013 we were …Continue Reading
La Familia de EsTuDiabetes Sigue Creciendo
El Centro Nacional de Prevención de Enfermedades Crónicas y Promoción de la Salud en el Estados Unidos encontró que a partir de 2002-2009, el 11,8% de los hispanos mayores de 20 años, que viven en los EU, viven con diabetes …Continue Reading
TuDiabetes Team
DHF STAFF
 Manny Hernandez(Co-Founder, Editor, has LADA)
|
DHF VOLUNTEERS
Lead Administrator
 Bradford (has type 1) |
Administrators
 Lorraine (mother of type 1) |
 Marie B (has type 1) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
LIKE us on Facebook
Spread the word
This site complies with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information: verify here.
© 2013 A community of people touched by diabetes, run by the Diabetes Hands Foundation.
