A new diabetes management device unveiled by PositiveID Corporation at the CTIA Wireless 2011 conference in Orlando, Fla., this week promises to hold diabetics more accountable for testing and medication compliance.
According to PositiveID CEO Scott Silverman, the device--iglucose--can connect to any glucometer on the market and provide live readings to a designated third-party recipient via a text message, email or fax when a diabetic takes a blood sugar reading. In addition, those readings also would be sent to a secure database for storage.
"The vision here is that the designated third-party recipient will grow in the very near future to more than just the loved one, and ultimately will be the primary-care physician that will be able to monitor the compliance of a diabetic, as well as the blood sugar readings," Silverman told FierceMobileHealthcare. "We also see Medicaid and insurers using the information to make sure that the patients whose strips and tools they're paying for are actually using those tools moving forward."
PositiveID plans to submit iglucose for 510(k) approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration by the end of April, and Silverman hopes to see the device built in to glucometers distributed to diabetics. He envisions iglucose being included in the reimbursable amount for Medicaid or insurance. As a standalone device, he thinks the device will cost between $40 and $60.
Silverman remained mum regarding any other plans for the technology behind iglucose due to the pending FDA approval submission, only mentioning that "the technology certainly could be used for other applications."
To learn more:
- here's the iglucose announcement