One Drop's new diabetes platform combines a design-forward blood glucose monitoring system with a live-support app and subscription service for supplies.

Kristopher Sturgis

Today One Drop announced the official launch of its new subscription-based glucose monitoring system that brings together advanced medical technologies with mobile capabilities -- all in an effort to provide advanced diabetes care that is both affordable and easily accessible. The technology provides an unlimited supply of blood glucose testing supplies, as well as 24/7 support for a mobile app for iOS and Android users that can provide real-time and historical blood glucose data at the touch of a button.

In a press release issued today, CEO and founder of One Drop Jeff Dachis said that the new technology was designed by people with diabetes, for people with diabetes. The goal of the new glucose monitoring system is to provide affordable, accessible, and effective diabetes care to virtually anyone in need. The premium monthly subscription costs $39.95 for those without insurance and provides users with unlimited testing supplies, a chrome glucose monitor that transmits data directly to the cloud via the mobile app, and 24/7 access to One Drop experts for guidance and support. The mobile app was designed to store real-time and historical data along with analytics that can be shared with a primary physician or healthcare provider.

FDA has been busy recently with a variety of different glucose monitoring devices seeking approval. A few months back the agency approved  the Freestyle Libre Pro -- a continuous glucose monitoring system that aimed to track glucose level data every 15 minutes for up to 14 days. That same week, Medtronic received FDA approval on a new artificial pancreas known as the MiniMed 670G insulin pump, the world's first hybrid, closed-loop artificial pancreas.

While both of these devices seek to provide better care for patients suffering from diabetes, the One Drop system aims to be the first subscription-based service that provides a tool for diabetes management that is as efficient as it is cost-effective. Nearly $835 billion is spent each year in direct costs, healthcare services, and disability costs as a result of diabetes complications--an area One Drop hopes to address with its new technology.

With this new new system, One Drop aims to combine the latest in analytics and glucose monitoring technologies into an easy-to-use system that can track blood glucose levels, medication, food, and physical activity to provide a diverse profile of information for each user. Preliminary studies from patients who used the One Drop glucose monitoring system showed that they were able to increase their average number of in-range blood glucose readings by 40%. Users were also able to reduce their average percentage of high blood glucose readings from 18.5% to 3.7%, while reducing their average blood glucose value from 185 mg/dL to 158 mg/dL.

The One Drop premium service is now available through iOS and Android, and has begun offering enterprise solutions to insurers, healthcare provider networks, and self-insured employers--all in an effort to reduce the cost for patients looking for a tool to help them better manage this disease.  

Kristopher Sturgis is a contributor to Qmed.

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[image courtesy of ONEDROP]