French multinational pharmaceutical company Sanofi and Verily Life Sciences — a subsidiary of Google's parent company Alphabet — have launched Onduo, a collaborative effort aimed at improving the lives of diabetics.
Here are seven things to know about the joint venture.
1. The joint venture is based in Kendall Square, a neighborhood in Cambridge, Mass.
2. Onduo's mission is "to help people with diabetes live full, healthy lives by developing comprehensive solutions that combine devices, software, medicine and professional care to enable simple and intelligent disease management," according to a news release.
3. The joint venture will be led by Onduo's newly appointed CEO, Joshua Riff, MD. Dr. Riff most recently was senior vice president of prevention and wellbeing at Optum, the health services company of UnitedHealth Group.
4. According to the joint venture announcement, Onduo will combine Verily's experience in miniaturized electronics, analytics and consumer software development with Sanofi's clinical expertise and experience in bringing treatments to diabetic patients.
5. Onduo initially will focus on the type 2 diabetes community, specifically on developing solutions that could help people make better health decisions, ranging from improved medication management to improved habits and goals, according to the joint venture announcement. Onduo eventually plans to expand its focus to include the type 1 diabetes community, and eventually to people at risk of developing diabetes.
6. The joint venture will collaborate with various healthcare organizations. Sacramento, Calif.-based Sutter Health and Pittsburgh-based Allegheny Health Network are among the first healthcare networks to collaborate with Verily and Onduo to test the Onduo platform with healthcare professionals and people with type 2 diabetes in a clinical care setting.
7. Additionally, Onduo is in conversation with patient advocacy groups like Taking Control of Your Diabetes to provide input on future product designs.
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