Apple trials app to manage a person's blood sugar levels

Apple is still working to help fight diabetes, with a report claiming it is internally testing an app to help people manage their blood sugar levels.

Apple has long been rumored to be working on ways to monitor a user's blood-sugar level from hardware like an Apple Watch. While the work to make a non-invasive sensor continues, it's also trying other ways to fight diabetes.

Employees who were prediabetic were involved in testing an app made by Apple, reports sources of Bloomberg. They were given a blood test to determine whether they were at risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, and were monitored by a variety of blood testing devices throughout the testing period.

The app was also used to log food, blood sugar levels, and glucose-level changes relative to food consumed.

Apple apparently isn't intending to release the app to the public, as its aim was for data collection more than piloting an actual app for release. It was also made for Apple to work out what other uses there could be for the blood-sugar data, and what tools could be produced for public use.

The iPhone maker has since paused the app test, as it focuses on other health-related areas.

So far, it seems that the app test wasn't directly connected to the ongoing work to produce a no-prick glucose monitor. Such a piece of hardware could offer an expanded range of features to the Apple Watch, especially when conventional tests require finger pricks or more advanced systems such as Dexcom.

4 Comments

maltz 503 comments · 13 Years

About 1 month ago

I'd love to see the continuous monitors integrate better with Apple Health, especially the new OTC devices. Abbott's Lingo will import data from Apple Health, but won't send data the other way.

jimh2 665 comments · 8 Years

Nothing makes those who need medical care happier to see Apple and other companies pushing into the medical hardware companies territory. They are going to start feeling the pain of having sat on their hands, enjoyed insane margins, and been slow to innovate thinking there is no competition.

When prices drop accessibility increases.

rcomeau 85 comments · 13 Years

jimh2 said:

Nothing makes those who need medical care happier to see Apple and other companies pushing into the medical hardware companies territory. They are going to start feeling the pain of having sat on their hands, enjoyed insane margins, and been slow to innovate thinking there is no competition.

When prices drop accessibility increases.

You might want to look into how much more complex and challenging it is to actually make a medical device. The regulatory burden is very heavy and debatable how much of it actually increases safety as many of the rules are knee jerk reactions to individual past failures rather than a holistic look at how to improve safety and quality efficiently. It is very difficult for a startup to be innovative with so much regulatory weight compared to consumer level stuff. We make a device and over 20% of the build cost is essentially for regulatory compliance expenses (not counting how much more R&D costs to do it in a medical device quality management environment). May not always be the case, but being innovative in this space rather than just keep making the same thing for years is expensive.

ravnorodom 721 comments · 8 Years

Meeting compliance on glucose monitoring device is tough and strict. Apple already has it but probably it will never see the light of day. Maybe just name it Peep-a-boo and tuck it somewhere in a calculator or stop watch or the useless breathing app so health department of glucose federation thinks it’s a game app and ignore it.

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