Qualcomm ($QCOM) has announced the formation of a wholly owned subsidiary that will focus on medical device connectivity and data management. The unit will operate the business formerly known as Qualcomm Wireless Health.
Qualcomm Life--as the unit is called--is offering the 2net platform and hub for use in connection with wireless medical devices. The offerings are available in the U.S. and are designed to interconnect wireless medical devices via cloud-based solutions so biometric information is accessible by patients, their healthcare providers and caregivers. Data are obtained from a patient's device through several gateways, such as the 2net hub, a mobile phone or another cellular-enabled product. Once the information is acquired from the device, it is encrypted and stored in the 2net platform over a cellular connection.
More than 40 medical device manufacturers, application developers, healthcare services companies and payors are either integrating with or considering the 2net system. Qualcomm Life will highlight the potential range of uses for 2net-enabled solutions at the upcoming mHealth 2011 conference in Washington D.C.
"Qualcomm Life was founded, in part, to assist medical device manufacturers who approached Qualcomm for help when their own wireless connectivity attempts became untenable due to technology selection errors, unscalable deployment models and prohibitively high operational support costs," said Rick Valencia, VP and general manager of Qualcomm Life, in a statement. "Our services, including integration on the 2net Platform, remove the burden for medical device manufacturers of a large technical development effort, providing integration with mobile carriers and solving the operational complexities of supporting wireless medical device data in the field."
The company also said it is establishing a $100 million Qualcomm Life Fund that will be devoted to wireless health business initiatives, including accelerating adoption of the 2net platform. Qualcomm Ventures has already invested in 5 wireless health companies--Sotera Wireless, Telcare, AliveCor, Cambridge Temperature Concepts and WorkSmart Labs--and these investments will be part of the fund. The company anticipates investments will be made in such areas as biosensors, systems that allow for remote diagnosis and monitoring, software health IT applications and health-related informatics/analytics, according to a statement.
- see the Qualcomm release