Medtech in a Minute: Big Pharma and Big Tech Disrupt the Status Quo

Getting to the Core of Apple’s Latest Medtech Move

The Apple Watch can now be used in clinical studies for atrial fibrillation. In an industry first, FDA certified the atrial fibrillation history feature on the Apple Watch for clinical studies under the medical device development tools (MDDT) program – the first digital health technology to achieve such status. This Apple Watch feature can help evaluate estimates of AFib burden as a secondary effectiveness endpoint within clinical studies intended to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of cardiac ablation devices. It can also be used throughout the study to monitor a participant’s weekly estimate of AFib burden.

GLP-1s: First They Came for Diabetes, Now They’re Coming for Sleep Apnea

The sleep apnea device market leader does not appear to be threatened by recent data supporting the use of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) drugs for obstructive sleep apnea treatment. Instead, ResMed is taking the stance that latest advances in both Big Tech and Big Pharma will raise awareness around the disease and bring more patients into the treatment funnel. It’s also unlikely that GLP-1s will displace CPAP devices and the like but rather serve as adjunct therapy.