Sanofi Partnership With Google Seeks to Improve Diabetes Care

Sanofi and Verily Life Sciences (formerly Google Life Sciences) recently announced the launch of a joint venture diabetes management company that will be based in Massachusetts.

The goal of the company, Onduo, is to assist patients with diabetes to live healthy lives by improving treatment options. The use of novel devices, software, medicine, and professional care is expected to improve disease management.

Onduo will combine Verily’s experience with miniaturized electronics, analytics, and consumer software development with Sanofi’s clinical expertise to create innovative treatment options, Sanofi reported.

The company’s newly appointed Chief Executive Officer Joshua Riff, MD, MBA, has extensive experience in disease prevention and wellbeing.

“My experience as a physician and in leading consumer health initiatives has shown me the daily burden of living with diabetes,” Dr Riff said. “From monitoring food intake to testing glucose levels to actively seeking medical care, the challenges both on the physical and mental well-being of a person living with diabetes are incredibly difficult. We want to develop solutions that allow people living with diabetes to focus on the things they love and enjoy in life by providing tools to make dealing with their diabetes less burdensome.”

Patients with type 2 diabetes will be the initial focal point of the joint venture. They will specifically focus on creating solutions that assist patients with day-to-day decisions, which can range from more optimal medication management to better habits and goals, according to Sanofi.

Onduo plans to add solutions for patients with type 1 diabetes and prevention for patients at risk of developing diabetes.

“The integration of multiple interventions, such as data-driven patient support and devices in addition to treatment, can help improve outcomes, which is important from the perspective of patients, healthcare professionals and the overall healthcare system,” said Peter Guenter, executive vice president, head, Global Diabetes & Cardiovascular Business Unit, Sanofi. “The new company Sanofi and Verily invested in will adopt a more service-centric approach and support doctors in their efforts to treat their patients more effectively. In addition to developing innovative therapies for diabetes which will remain a key focus for Sanofi, we see these solutions which combine innovative therapies and services as the future for diabetes care. We believe this will help societies cope with the burden of this epidemic.”

Onduo will involve stakeholders such as the diabetes community, clinicians, payers, and healthcare professionals in diabetes management.

Sutter Health of Northern California and Allegheny Health Network of western Pennsylvania have already begun collaborating with Onduo to test the platform in a clinical care setting, according to Sanofi.

“This is an innovative collaboration that spans the healthcare continuum and benefits from deep and cross-functional expertise, giving us unique potential to create tools and solutions that could have a positive clinical effect,” said Jessica Mega, MD, MPH, chief medical officer of Verily. “Our goal is to connect the dots for health care providers on the ‘moments of truth’ that happen outside of the clinical setting, and to help people manage diabetes on a daily basis. Our collaborations with health networks like Sutter Health and Allegheny Health will help bring that vision to life.”

The new company is also collaborating with patient advocacy groups, such as Taking Control of Your Diabetes (TCOYD), to start discussing future product designs, according to Sanofi.

“With Onduo, Sanofi and Verily are bringing forward a platform that is novel and critical in diabetes management,” said, Steven V. Edelman, MD, founder and director, TCOYD. “Onduo is a company focused on the improvement of health outcomes through the marriage of technology and medicine. Its information-based solutions align well with TCOYD’s mission to empower people with diabetes and their loved ones to effectively and easily take control of diabetes. We welcome and support Onduo’s efforts and look forward to their progress.”