Abbott Laboratories, one of the world's largest companies in the diabetes space, is teaming up with Omada Health to launch an integrated digital platform for people living with Type 2 diabetes.
The collaboration will combine Abbott's FreeStyle Libre continuous glucose monitoring technology system and Omada Health's digital care and coaching program to offer personalized care, the companies said.
More than 30 million Americans are living with diabetes, with roughly 95% of them living with Type 2 diabetes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. An integrated platform offers these diabetes patients an easier way to better manage their condition and overall health, according to the companies.
San Francisco-based Omada Health will offer the integrated solution to employers and health plans.
As part of the collaboration, people diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes who are eligible will receive an online physician consultation, a prescription of Freestyle Libre and the CGM system and a wireless scale delivered to their home. Users of the platform can use a smartphone to scan a sensor worn on the back of the upper arm to get real-time glucose readings. The system enables users to get historical trends and patterns and arrows showing where glucose levels are going without having to fingerstick.
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The companies said the integrated platform is powered by proprietary algorithms and analytics and provides participants with personalized digital care, directly from their smartphones, to help better manage their diabetes. Participants will be able to track progress and receive proactive, tailored recommendations from their assigned certified diabetes educator coaches through online chats in Omada's app.
"The mission of Omada Health has always been to empower meaningful, sustainable behavior change for those individuals living with Type 2 diabetes and other chronic conditions," Omada co-founder and chief executive officer Sean Duffy said in a statement. "Partnering with Abbott to give individuals access to FreeStyle Libre as part of the Omada program will deliver a unique combination of personalized human coaching and technology-enabled care to support those goals."
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The biggest barriers to success for patients have typically been immediate access to a diabetes educator when they need it most and a lack of accurate glucose and nutrition data to personalize treatment, Danene "DJ" Moberly, registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator coach for Omada Health, said in a statement.
"It's exciting that this partnership addresses both needs and will give people living with Type 2 diabetes access to an unprecedented suite of tools and personalized support to better manage their condition," Moberly said.
Omada Health's digital coaching produces address hypertension, Type 2 diabetes, mental health conditions and other health needs. In June, the company announced a $73 million funding round led by Wellington Management Company. Also participating in the round were previous investors Cigna Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz, U.S. Venture Partners, Norwest Venture Partners, Kaiser Permanente Ventures, Sanofi Ventures, Civilization Ventures, and Providence Ventures.
The company also recently announced a new strategic investment from Intermountain Ventures. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.