Medtronic plc (NYSE:MDT) and Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ:QCOM) through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Qualcomm Life, Inc., today announced a global, multi-year collaboration to jointly develop future generation continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) systems that aim to improve health outcomes for people with diabetes. By giving insights to doctors and people with type 2 diabetes concerning glucose levels, the companies intend to enable more informed care, especially for those who do not have control of their diabetes today. The collaboration seeks to leverage Medtronic’s market-leadership in diabetes management and Qualcomm Life’s expertise in developing reference designs for wireless, single-use and small integrated modules to create more affordable, easier-to-use CGM systems, including a new sensor and smaller design that can provide near real-time and retrospective glucose data.
The initial focus of the collaboration will be to develop a single-use CGM system designed for broader practice by general practitioners who manage care for the vast majority of the 400 million people worldwide with type 2 diabetes. This collaboration supports Medtronic’s strategy to develop comprehensive CGM solutions that not only measure glucose but enable the delivery of actionable insights to both patients and providers.
Leveraging Qualcomm Life’s deep wireless expertise and technologies, 2net™ Design is a platform for designing the communications components of connected medical devices, including disposable drug delivery devices and disposable diagnostic devices for condition specific connected therapies.
“We believe that glucose should be a vital sign of diabetes health. Professional CGM is an increasingly used diagnostic tool that empowers physicians and patients with meaningful glucose data to tackle glucose control. Our solutions go beyond delivering data and provide automated observations and clinical decision support to help create a personalized care plan,” said Laura Stoltenberg, vice president and general manager, Non-Intensive Diabetes Therapies at Medtronic. “Our vision is to transform diabetes care so people with diabetes can enjoy greater freedom and better health. We are thrilled to be collaborating with Qualcomm Life – a best-in-class leader in wireless technologies that is ahead of the curve in a rapidly changing connected world – to develop innovative and affordable CGM systems that will fundamentally change type 2 diabetes management.”
“Qualcomm Life’s connected health expertise along with our enabling 2net Connectivity Platform and 2net Design capabilities fit naturally with Medtronic’s diabetes leadership in bringing future generation CGM systems to market,” said Rick Valencia, president and general manager, Qualcomm Life, Inc. “This collaboration furthers our commitment of enabling new connected care models that liberate vital data and unlock insights to deliver intelligent care wherever the patient may be.”
Advanced CGM solutions are a critical element of an integrated care model. By building an ecosystem of industry leading partners, Medtronic aims to deliver more than just devices and provide intelligent solutions that improve outcomes, while lowering the overall cost of care.
