Device innovation to drive category growth

While Google and Alcon figure out the next wireless 007-style eyewear to help manage diabetes, there are device manufacturers today who are developing next-generation blood-glucose meters. That kind of development could drive growth across a relatively flat category — sales of blood-glucose meters were down slightly by 2.2% to $303.8 million for the 52 weeks ended July 13 across total U.S. multi-outlets, according to IRI.

(For the full Diabetes Report, including charts and additional coverage, click here.)



It’s a patient-connected experience that’s being developed, Gurpreet Singh, a partner in PricewaterhouseCooper’s Health Industries practice, said. So not only will a blood-glucose meter wirelessly upload readings to a smartphone app and the cloud, users will be able to do things like track their diet using that same app — and that could be used to inform possible insulin dosage. “That is a use-case or scenario that is very much a reality,” he said. “Beyond that patient experience, connecting that back to the provider or the physician so that they can look at trends across the cohort of patients — that’s where big data comes into play.”



“The drug store chains can be disruptive in terms of ... how they connect and use this new relationship,” Jim Taschetta, iHealth chief marketing officer and head of retail sales, told DSN. “[Retailers] can now create a relationship with [the end user] through this device and software. There’s an opportunity for the entire industry to think differently about blood-pressure monitors, blood-glucose meters and even scales. This is the time to disrupt.”