Abbott has teamed up with Omada Health to offer its FreeStyle Libre continuous glucose monitoring system through the latter’s digital care program for people with type 2 diabetes.
Omada will provide the combined solution to employers and health plans, which will include an online physician consultation for a FreeStyle Libre prescription, as well as the delivery of a kit with the 14-day CGM system and a wireless scale. The FreeStyle Libre will serve as the exclusive CGM for Omada’s expanded type 2 diabetes offering, the companies said.
Meanwhile, the program’s digital back end will be powered by proprietary algorithms supplied by both companies. Those analytics will track users’ progress and blood sugar levels in real time to help personalize care recommendations via their smartphones, including through live coaching, lessons and action plans.
“I've worked as a registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator for more than 10 years," Danene “DJ” Moberly, a registered dietitian and coach at Omada, said in a statement. "The biggest barriers to success for my patients have always been immediate access to a diabetes educator when they need it most and a lack of accurate glucose and nutrition data so that we can personalize treatment.”
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“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 has enrolled more than 250,000 participants to date, the company said, and maintains partnerships with several large insurers including Cigna, Kaiser Permanente and others. The two companies estimate that more than 30 million people in the U.S. currently live with diabetes, with about 95% with type 2.
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Elsewhere, Abbott announced plans to integrate its FreeStyle Libre system with Tandem Diabetes Care’s plug-and-play insulin pump.
Tandem received a de novo clearance from the FDA this past February for its t:Slim X2, which established a new category of interoperable hardware referred to alternate controller-enabled infusion pumps, or ACE pumps. These allow people with diabetes to connect their preferred compatible devices, such as automated dosing systems, monitors and glucose meters.
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According to Abbott and Tandem, the two companies are currently finalizing the technical details of integrating the two devices and their communication systems, as well as associated commercial activities.
"To help customers fully realize the potential of the latest advancements in diabetes technology, we're ensuring our products have interoperability, creating a cohesive ecosystem where people with diabetes can manage their condition across devices from us and other companies seamlessly," said Jared Watkin, Abbott’s senior VP of diabetes care.