Emerging Diabetes Technology Driven By Patient Demands

Developing a successful device in the diabetes market requires paying attention to what patients want. Although physicians are naturally a key source of information, diabetics are not only very active, but also can be extremely demanding about what they want, need, and will use. Younger diabetics brought up in the internet age are a particularly vocal group, and they have learned to use social media to band together and make their opinions heard. A manufacturer that wants to develop a diabetes product that will be in demand must listen to what patients are requesting. In many ways the things diabetics are asking for are not hard to understand; they want less invasive/pain-free methods of testing glucose levels and delivering insulin and devices that take advantage of ongoing information technology advances to record and track their glucose readings.

Products that reflect this trend have already begun entering the market, including products from companies with technologies that tap into the pervasive wireless and mobile capabilities currently touching nearly every industry. Bluetooth technology has been incorporated into several models of glucose meters to transmit data wirelessly to a patient’s smart phone or computer. However, one start-up company has taken the use of wireless technology a step further and created the first cellular enabled-glucometer that transmits data directly and automatically to a database