London-based digital health company Bold Health is developing digital therapeutics for gastrointestinal conditions. The company is backing a new University of Pennsylvania-led study that will directly compare the company’s cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) app for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) to Headspace’s consumer mindfulness and meditation app, reports MobiHealthNews.

Researchers will be randomly assigning 300 participants with IBS to receive either Bold Health’s Zemedy app or the Headspace mindfulness app for free. Each group will have the app for eight weeks, after which those who received the Headspace app will also be given access to Zemedy.

Read more Sanofi and Babylon Team Up to Tackle Digestive Health Issues

Chronic digestive problems are common and often connected to poor mental wellbeing. Through Bold Health’s digital applications, patients get access to cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) programs designed for their specific condition.

Zemedy’s 6-week program is designed around core cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) principles. IBS symptoms are often exacerbated due to stress and anxiety.

The aim of the Zemedy program is to help users target symptoms and difficult emotions by changing the surrounding thoughts and behaviors. Users can practice these techniques in their own safe spaces and learn how to manage their symptoms in the long term.

After eight weeks of the trial, the researchers will administer a battery of questionnaires, and those who switched from Headspace to Zemedy will receive a third slew of questions after an additional eight weeks with Bold Health’s app, the MobiHealthNews report said.

Through these surveys, the researchers will be comparing responses regarding the study’s primary outcomes: IBS quality of life, and the severity of their gastrointestinal symptoms. Secondary outcomes include respondents’ scores on various gastrointestinal-related measurements, including their anxiety regarding visceral gut sensations, fear of food or eating, and impairments to their work due to health conditions.

Read more Oshi Health Launches First All-in-One Mobile App to Allow IBD Patients Manage Their Conditions

With this new trial, Bold Health is making the case that Zemedy, which is branded as a digital therapeutic, will be demonstrably more effective than a corresponding consumer wellness app.

Healthcare data company Diameter Health has raised $18M in Series B funding. The funding round was led by managed care organization Centene Corporation, with participation from existing investors Optum Ventures, LRVHealth, Connecticut Innovations and Activate Venture Partners. This brings Diameter Health’s total funding to $30 million.

Read more Digital Health Funding: Strava Raises $110M, AliveCor and Solv Closes $65M and $27M Respectively

“We are thrilled to have Centene Corporation join the Diameter Health investor syndicate in this round,” said Eric Rosow, CEO and co-founder of Diameter Health. “This new financing validates that our technology is a valuable component to solving today’s challenges of health data interoperability across an enterprise. Normalizing, enriching and integrating data across sources is time-consuming and expensive. Organizations are using our API to accelerate their own data enterprise strategy and are driving real cost efficiencies and value in closing care gaps, more accurately assessing risk, strengthening underwriting, and ultimately improving patient care and outcomes.”

Diameter synthesizes clinical data, turning it into a valuable asset for health information exchanges. Its leading FHIR-enabled integration engine, Fusion, parses, normalizes and enriches over 225 million clinical documents on behalf of health information exchanges, the Veterans Administration, state governments, large health plans, health IT vendors as well as life insurance companies, Diameter Health said in a press release.

“We invested in Diameter Health because their ability to automatically integrate and normalize clinical data will play an important role as we look to accelerate innovation and digitization across our company,” said Centene Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer Mark Brooks.

The investment comes at a key time of growth for Diameter Health and the U.S. healthcare market as a whole, as recent legislation outlined in the 21st Century Cures Act will accelerate increased collaboration and data sharing across the industry. The recent funding round positions the company to build on its significant momentum in the health plan and life insurance space and to advance its mission to enable data interoperability and optimization across an enterprise.

Mike Cunningham, Principal with Optum Ventures and Diameter Health board member said, “Diameter Health’s growth is accelerating in the health plan markets at impressive rates. We see the company as being fundamental in supporting the use of data across digital health transactions for healthcare organizations in the future.”

Read more From Voice-Integrated Toothbrush to Wearable Halo, 2020 Was Amazon’s Year to Explore Healthcare Space

Diameter Health plans to use the new funding to expand Fusion’s ingestion capabilities to accept all health messages, standards and data sources as well as to further enhance Fusion’s real-time enrichment and analytics with machine learning capabilities like natural language processing. Diameter Health also plans to expand its large network of direct connections between Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems, Health Information Exchanges (HIEs) and other healthcare data sources to enable more widespread, seamless and secure data exchange.

Healthcare data company Diameter Health has raised $18M in Series B funding. The funding round was led by managed care organization Centene Corporation, with participation from existing investors Optum Ventures, LRVHealth, Connecticut Innovations and Activate Venture Partners. This brings Diameter Health's total funding to $30 million.

Read more: Digital Health Funding: Strava Raises $110M, AliveCor and Solv Closes $65M and $27M Respectively

“We are thrilled to have Centene Corporation join the Diameter Health investor syndicate in this round,” said Eric Rosow, CEO and co-founder of Diameter Health. “This new financing validates that our technology is a valuable component to solving today's challenges of health data interoperability across an enterprise. Normalizing, enriching and integrating data across sources is time-consuming and expensive. Organizations are using our API to accelerate their own data enterprise strategy and are driving real cost efficiencies and value in closing care gaps, more accurately assessing risk, strengthening underwriting, and ultimately improving patient care and outcomes.”

Diameter synthesizes clinical data, turning it into a valuable asset for health information exchanges. Its leading FHIR-enabled integration engine, Fusion, parses, normalizes and enriches over 225 million clinical documents on behalf of health information exchanges, the Veterans Administration, state governments, large health plans, health IT vendors as well as life insurance companies, Diameter Health said in a press release.

“We invested in Diameter Health because their ability to automatically integrate and normalize clinical data will play an important role as we look to accelerate innovation and digitization across our company,” said Centene Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer Mark Brooks.

The investment comes at a key time of growth for Diameter Health and the U.S. healthcare market as a whole, as recent legislation outlined in the 21st Century Cures Act will accelerate increased collaboration and data sharing across the industry. The recent funding round positions the company to build on its significant momentum in the health plan and life insurance space and to advance its mission to enable data interoperability and optimization across an enterprise.

Mike Cunningham, Principal with Optum Ventures and Diameter Health board member said, “Diameter Health's growth is accelerating in the health plan markets at impressive rates. We see the company as being fundamental in supporting the use of data across digital health transactions for healthcare organizations in the future.”

Read more: From Voice-Integrated Toothbrush to Wearable Halo, 2020 Was Amazon’s Year to Explore Healthcare Space

Diameter Health plans to use the new funding to expand Fusion's ingestion capabilities to accept all health messages, standards and data sources as well as to further enhance Fusion's real-time enrichment and analytics with machine learning capabilities like natural language processing. Diameter Health also plans to expand its large network of direct connections between Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems, Health Information Exchanges (HIEs) and other healthcare data sources to enable more widespread, seamless and secure data exchange.

London-based digital health company Bold Health is developing digital therapeutics for gastrointestinal conditions. The company is backing a new University of Pennsylvania-led study that will directly compare the company's cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) app for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) to Headspace's consumer mindfulness and meditation app, reports MobiHealthNews.

Researchers will be randomly assigning 300 participants with IBS to receive either Bold Health's Zemedy app or the Headspace mindfulness app for free. Each group will have the app for eight weeks, after which those who received the Headspace app will also be given access to Zemedy.

Read more: Sanofi and Babylon Team Up to Tackle Digestive Health Issues

Chronic digestive problems are common and often connected to poor mental wellbeing. Through Bold Health’s digital applications, patients get access to cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) programs designed for their specific condition.

Zemedy’s 6-week program is designed around core cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) principles. IBS symptoms are often exacerbated due to stress and anxiety.

The aim of the Zemedy program is to help users target symptoms and difficult emotions by changing the surrounding thoughts and behaviors. Users can practice these techniques in their own safe spaces and learn how to manage their symptoms in the long term.

After eight weeks of the trial, the researchers will administer a battery of questionnaires, and those who switched from Headspace to Zemedy will receive a third slew of questions after an additional eight weeks with Bold Health's app, the MobiHealthNews report said.

Through these surveys, the researchers will be comparing responses regarding the study's primary outcomes: IBS quality of life, and the severity of their gastrointestinal symptoms. Secondary outcomes include respondents' scores on various gastrointestinal-related measurements, including their anxiety regarding visceral gut sensations, fear of food or eating, and impairments to their work due to health conditions.

Read more: Oshi Health Launches First All-in-One Mobile App to Allow IBD Patients Manage Their Conditions

With this new trial, Bold Health is making the case that Zemedy, which is branded as a digital therapeutic, will be demonstrably more effective than a corresponding consumer wellness app.

For Amazon, the year 2020 was a very busy year. The company expanded its employee health offerings and launched its first wearable device.

Read more Amazon Reportedly Working on an Emotion Tracking Wearable

Amazon’s third-quarter 2020 fiscal results show that the e-commerce giant was able to increase its sales and cash flow, despite disruption due to the pandemic.

Amazon started the year by launching Amazon Care, virtual primacy care for its employees and their families living in Seattle. Amazon Care enabled patients to access care through multiple channels including texting, video chat and a mobile care clinic, where a nurse will come to the patient’s home or office. The patients are also able to get their medications to deliver via a “Care Courier” at their home or office.

2020 was also the year when the world was devastated by Coronavirus. There were several outbreaks at Amazon warehouses. In June, the company announced that it was ramping up plans to test its fulfillment center workers for coronavirus, reports MobiHealthNews.

In August, Amazon entered the wearables space by launching Amazon Halo, an on-wrist health tracker with an accompanying app. The device has a fabric band and doesn’t have a screen. The sensors track activity, temperature, and heart rate.

Amazon inked a deal with Oral-B to launch a voice-integrated toothbrush system that gives users tips on their brushing habits. The joint system includes an Oral-B electric toothbrush, an Alexa built-in smart charger base, an Oral-B brush head, and a Quick-Start guide. Besides the health focus, the Amazon built-in can play music, listen to the news and let users order more brush heads, MobiHealthNews reported.

Read more Amazon’s Halo Fitness Tracker Can Detect Your Body Fat and Tone of Voice

In November, launched a digital pharmacy, called Amazon Pharmacy, that lets customers order and manage their prescription medications online and get them delivered at home.

Novartis is partnering with German digital health company smartpatient to launch a new app feature on the MyTherapy app for patients with wet macular degeneration (AMD). Called “See What’s Next,” the new feature is designed to encourage people living with this condition to improve their treatment adherence, which is crucial to reducing the risk of vision loss.

Read more Comcast Partners with NuEyes to Help Customers with Visual Disabilities Watch TV

“Non-adherence is a challenge in most health conditions, but in few are consequences as direct and severe as in wet AMD,” says Sebastian Gaede, chief executive officer of smartpatient. “I was truly impressed seeing Novartis and us working as one team, with every single team member highly motivated by our shared goal of supporting patients in avoiding complications and reducing the risk of vision loss,” he added.

Patients are able to tap into a personalized app that will show them the tools most applicable to their needs. Ophthalmologists can provide patients with access to the system, reports MobiHealthNews.

Novartis initially reached out to smartpatient when it noticed a pattern of patients who would come in for one or two injections of its anti-vascular endothelial growth factor therapy treatment Beovu, but not return.

Wet AMD affects more than 20 million people worldwide, and is the leading cause of blindness in people over the age of 65 in the US, Europe, Australia, and Asia. It develops when abnormal blood vessels grow into the macula of the eye. These vessels leak blood or fluid which leads to scarring of the macula and rapid loss of central vision.

Early symptoms include distorted vision and as the disease progresses, cell damage increases, resulting in a further reduction in vision quality.

Read more Pfizer Teams Up with Popit to Improve Medication Adherence

Big pharma companies like Novartis are increasingly turning towards the digital health space to support adherence measures, drug discovery and digital therapeutics.

“See What’s Next” is currently available in Italy and Spain, with other markets to follow.

Novartis is partnering with German digital health company smartpatient to launch a new app feature on the MyTherapy app for patients with wet macular degeneration (AMD). Called "See What’s Next," the new feature is designed to encourage people living with this condition to improve their treatment adherence, which is crucial to reducing the risk of vision loss.

Read more: Comcast Partners with NuEyes to Help Customers with Visual Disabilities Watch TV

“Non-adherence is a challenge in most health conditions, but in few are consequences as direct and severe as in wet AMD,” says Sebastian Gaede, chief executive officer of smartpatient. “I was truly impressed seeing Novartis and us working as one team, with every single team member highly motivated by our shared goal of supporting patients in avoiding complications and reducing the risk of vision loss,” he added.

Patients are able to tap into a personalized app that will show them the tools most applicable to their needs. Ophthalmologists can provide patients with access to the system, reports MobiHealthNews.

Novartis initially reached out to smartpatient when it noticed a pattern of patients who would come in for one or two injections of its anti-vascular endothelial growth factor therapy treatment Beovu, but not return.

Wet AMD affects more than 20 million people worldwide, and is the leading cause of blindness in people over the age of 65 in the US, Europe, Australia, and Asia. It develops when abnormal blood vessels grow into the macula of the eye. These vessels leak blood or fluid which leads to scarring of the macula and rapid loss of central vision.

Early symptoms include distorted vision and as the disease progresses, cell damage increases, resulting in a further reduction in vision quality.

Read more: Pfizer Teams Up with Popit to Improve Medication Adherence

Big pharma companies like Novartis are increasingly turning towards the digital health space to support adherence measures, drug discovery and digital therapeutics.

“See What’s Next” is currently available in Italy and Spain, with other markets to follow.

For Amazon, the year 2020 was a very busy year. The company expanded its employee health offerings and launched its first wearable device.

Read more: Amazon Reportedly Working on an Emotion Tracking Wearable

Amazon’s third-quarter 2020 fiscal results show that the e-commerce giant was able to increase its sales and cash flow, despite disruption due to the pandemic.

Amazon started the year by launching Amazon Care, virtual primacy care for its employees and their families living in Seattle. Amazon Care enabled patients to access care through multiple channels including texting, video chat and a mobile care clinic, where a nurse will come to the patient’s home or office. The patients are also able to get their medications to deliver via a “Care Courier” at their home or office.

2020 was also the year when the world was devastated by Coronavirus. There were several outbreaks at Amazon warehouses. In June, the company announced that it was ramping up plans to test its fulfillment center workers for coronavirus, reports MobiHealthNews.

In August, Amazon entered the wearables space by launching Amazon Halo, an on-wrist health tracker with an accompanying app. The device has a fabric band and doesn’t have a screen. The sensors track activity, temperature, and heart rate.

Amazon inked a deal with Oral-B to launch a voice-integrated toothbrush system that gives users tips on their brushing habits. The joint system includes an Oral-B electric toothbrush, an Alexa built-in smart charger base, an Oral-B brush head, and a Quick-Start guide. Besides the health focus, the Amazon built-in can play music, listen to the news and let users order more brush heads, MobiHealthNews reported.

Read more: Amazon’s Halo Fitness Tracker Can Detect Your Body Fat and Tone of Voice

In November, launched a digital pharmacy, called Amazon Pharmacy, that lets customers order and manage their prescription medications online and get them delivered at home.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office officially granted Apple a patent for a future Apple Watch band with embedded batteries.

Read more Patent Reveals Future Apple Watches with Dazzling Designs, New Health Features and More

The new patent is named Battery Watch Band. It describes how the Apple Watch could get more battery capacity without having to increase the size of the Watch casing or find a more efficient power cell. The battery cells are sealed with the strap in order to prevent them from coming into contact with the metal casing of the watch.

“Apple’s invention covers a watch band for a future Apple Watch that houses a series of embedded batteries in order to provide additional battery life.  This can provide an additional power source for Apple Watch without increasing the size of the Apple Watch body,” reports PatentlyApple.

The watch band will be connected to the watch via pins. The watch will get recharged wirelessly through induction coils, wrapped around one of the battery elements.

Apple Watches have fairly short battery life. For example, Apple Watch Series 6 is rated for 18 hours of use, while the Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 gets a rating for 2 days of battery life. The battery on the Fitbit Sense can last up to six days.

The future Apple Watches need longer battery life as they will be loaded with health features. The updated watchOS 7.2 will bring a new cardio fitness score that uses your VO2 max to measure your cardiorespiratory health or aerobic endurance.

Read more Apple’s Patent Suggests Smart Ring That Could Let You Control Other Devices

It may take a while for Apple to turn this new patent into reality, but some major changes on the Apple Watch 7 are on the card. It should also be noted that Apple has previously played with the idea for the band, suggesting that various sensors and batteries could be put inside each element in its Link band but Apple didn’t show us a final product.

A new feature on Apple Watch will give you a review on your fitness levels. When you update your watch’s software to watchOS 7.2, it will bring a new cardio fitness score that uses your VO2 max to measure your cardiorespiratory health, or aerobic endurance. Cardiorespiratory fitness, as measured by VO2 max, is the maximum amount of oxygen the body can use during exercise, and it can be increased through physical activity. Apple Watch already estimates average and higher levels of VO2 max during vigorous outdoor walks, runs, or hikes, which many runners and other athletes monitor to improve performance.

Read more Apple Gets FDA Clearance for its Updated Version of ECG to Detect AFib

Now, with watchOS 7, Apple Watch uses multiple sensors, including the optical heart sensor, GPS, and the accelerometer, to estimate lower levels, too. This is significant because direct measurement of VO2 max typically requires a rigorous clinical test with specialized equipment that is not readily accessible to most people. watchOS 7 also allows Apple Watch to take cardio fitness measurements as users walk throughout the day, whether or not they are tracking a workout. With this innovation, Apple Watch is better able to measure VO2 max for users with low cardio fitness, who may not complete high-intensity workouts, reports Apple.

“Cardio fitness is increasingly recognized as a powerful predictor of overall health, and with today’s update to watchOS 7, we are making it even more accessible to more people,” said Jeff Williams, Apple’s chief operating officer. “Using its advanced sensors, Apple Watch now brings estimation of low cardio fitness levels from clinics directly to a user’s wrist, so people have more insight into how they can improve their long-term health through daily activity.”

iOS 14.3 and watchOS 7.2 enable Apple Watch users to visit the Cardio Fitness category in the Health app on iPhone to review whether their cardio fitness level is classified as high, above average, below average, or low, relative to people in their same age group and of the same sex, according to data from the Fitness Registry and Importance of Exercise National Database (FRIEND).

Read more Apple Joins Forces with Researchers to Conduct Health Studies Using Apple Watch

Here’s How to Set Up Cardio Fitness

1. From the Health app on your iPhone, tap the Summary tab.
2. Tap Set Up under Cardio Fitness, then tap Next.
3. Confirm your details. Any changes you make here will be saved to your Health Details in Settings.
4. Tap Next.
5. Follow the onscreen prompts to learn about other factors that can lower your cardio fitness, as well as the cardio fitness levels for your age and sex.
6. Tap Next.
7. Tap Turn on Notifications to receive a notification if your Apple Watch detects that your cardio fitness level is low. You must be at least 20 years old to turn on notifications.
8. Tap Done.

A new feature on Apple Watch will give you a review on your fitness levels. When you update your watch’s software to watchOS 7.2, it will bring a new cardio fitness score that uses your VO2 max to measure your cardiorespiratory health, or aerobic endurance. Cardiorespiratory fitness, as measured by VO2 max, is the maximum amount of oxygen the body can use during exercise, and it can be increased through physical activity. Apple Watch already estimates average and higher levels of VO2 max during vigorous outdoor walks, runs, or hikes, which many runners and other athletes monitor to improve performance.

Read more: Apple Gets FDA Clearance for its Updated Version of ECG to Detect AFib

Now, with watchOS 7, Apple Watch uses multiple sensors, including the optical heart sensor, GPS, and the accelerometer, to estimate lower levels, too. This is significant because direct measurement of VO2 max typically requires a rigorous clinical test with specialized equipment that is not readily accessible to most people. watchOS 7 also allows Apple Watch to take cardio fitness measurements as users walk throughout the day, whether or not they are tracking a workout. With this innovation, Apple Watch is better able to measure VO2 max for users with low cardio fitness, who may not complete high-intensity workouts, reports Apple.

“Cardio fitness is increasingly recognized as a powerful predictor of overall health, and with today’s update to watchOS 7, we are making it even more accessible to more people,” said Jeff Williams, Apple’s chief operating officer. “Using its advanced sensors, Apple Watch now brings estimation of low cardio fitness levels from clinics directly to a user’s wrist, so people have more insight into how they can improve their long-term health through daily activity.”

iOS 14.3 and watchOS 7.2 enable Apple Watch users to visit the Cardio Fitness category in the Health app on iPhone to review whether their cardio fitness level is classified as high, above average, below average, or low, relative to people in their same age group and of the same sex, according to data from the Fitness Registry and Importance of Exercise National Database (FRIEND).

Read more: Apple Joins Forces with Researchers to Conduct Health Studies Using Apple Watch

Here's How to Set Up Cardio Fitness

1. From the Health app on your iPhone, tap the Summary tab.
2. Tap Set Up under Cardio Fitness, then tap Next.
3. Confirm your details. Any changes you make here will be saved to your Health Details in Settings.
4. Tap Next.
5. Follow the onscreen prompts to learn about other factors that can lower your cardio fitness, as well as the cardio fitness levels for your age and sex.
6. Tap Next.
7. Tap Turn on Notifications to receive a notification if your Apple Watch detects that your cardio fitness level is low. You must be at least 20 years old to turn on notifications.
8. Tap Done.

‍

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office officially granted Apple a patent for a future Apple Watch band with embedded batteries.

Read more: Patent Reveals Future Apple Watches with Dazzling Designs, New Health Features and More

The new patent is named Battery Watch Band. It describes how the Apple Watch could get more battery capacity without having to increase the size of the Watch casing or find a more efficient power cell. The battery cells are sealed with the strap in order to prevent them from coming into contact with the metal casing of the watch.

“Apple's invention covers a watch band for a future Apple Watch that houses a series of embedded batteries in order to provide additional battery life.  This can provide an additional power source for Apple Watch without increasing the size of the Apple Watch body,” reports PatentlyApple.

The watch band will be connected to the watch via pins. The watch will get recharged wirelessly through induction coils, wrapped around one of the battery elements.

Apple Watches have fairly short battery life. For example, Apple Watch Series 6 is rated for 18 hours of use, while the Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 gets a rating for 2 days of battery life. The battery on the Fitbit Sense can last up to six days.

The future Apple Watches need longer battery life as they will be loaded with health features. The updated watchOS 7.2 will bring a new cardio fitness score that uses your VO2 max to measure your cardiorespiratory health or aerobic endurance.

Read more: Apple’s Patent Suggests Smart Ring That Could Let You Control Other Devices

It may take a while for Apple to turn this new patent into reality, but some major changes on the Apple Watch 7 are on the card. It should also be noted that Apple has previously played with the idea for the band, suggesting that various sensors and batteries could be put inside each element in its Link band but Apple didn’t show us a final product.

Wearing Fitbit devices with Health2Sync, the number one diabetes management app in Taiwan has been clinically proven to help both users and healthcare providers to control and better manage the symptoms of Type 2 diabetes, according to a study was conducted with four of Taiwan’s leading diabetes clinics.

Related Fitbit and Solera Health Expand Collaboration to Reduce Type 2 Diabetes Risk

Results from the study in Taiwan revealed an improvement in patients’ health conditions, with participants recording higher levels of physical activity, reduced HbA1C, fasting blood glucose and LDL-C, and higher blood glucose measurement frequency, Fitbit said in a press release.

“We are thrilled to see such optimistic results in the clinical study. We believe that innovations in Fitbit wearable devices and Fitbit health solutions have a major role to play in the global effort against diabetes – whether it is in reducing the onset of diabetes, or helping patients to better manage their condition – and we look forward to further expanding on our partnership with Fitbit,” said Ed Deng, CEO at Health2Sync.

The Health2Sync Patient Management Platform allows healthcare providers to seamlessly monitor patients’ information and provide remote consultative advice where necessary.

The study found:

• Average glycated hemoglobin (HbA1C) decreased 0.33%, while patients who did moderate to high-intensity activity duration of at least 150 mins per week, saw their average HbA1C decreased 0.66%
• Average fasting blood glucose (BG) decreased 10.92 mg/dL
• Average low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) decreased 11.55 mg/dL
• Weight reduction of up to 2 kilograms among some patients
• Increased frequency in moderate to high-intensity activity to 7.03 times a week among some patients

Conducted over a three-month period ending in July 2020 in conjunction with the Neng-Chun Diabetes Clinic, Da-Ya Chang-An Clinic, Yier Clinic and Banqiao Da-Jun Clinic, the study, with patient consent, lets the patients’ doctors track the progress and lifestyle changes of 95 participants with T2DM. Prior to the commencement of the study, doctors at the four clinics established benchmarks for all participating patients based on blood glucose tests at the start of the trial, then on a self-monitored weekly basis throughout the study period.

Each participant was given a Fitbit Inspire HR and the participants voluntarily agreed to connect their Fitbit wearable data with the Health2Sync diabetes management app to track their progress throughout the program. Physical activity data generated from each person’s Fitbit device was integrated into the Health2Sync app, which housed other health metrics such as patients’ HbA1c, BG and cholesterol levels. This let doctors seamlessly monitor patients’ information on the Health2Sync Patient Management Platform and provide remote consultative advice where necessary.

“The results speak for themselves. We saw a reduction in some of our patients’ weight by an average of two kilograms and fasting BG levels of study participants from Da-Ya Chang-An clinic decreased 11.10 mg/dL within 3 months, leading to significant health improvements, said Dr. Kuo-Liang Lu of Da-Ya Chang-An Clinic in Taiwan.

Related UnitedHealth Group Launches New Digital Therapy To Improve Lives Of People With Type 2 Diabetes

Dr. Neng-Chu Yu of Neng-Chun Diabetes Clinic said: “Type 2 diabetes, with the right lifestyle changes – medication adherence, increased activity, and better diet – can lead to major improvements in control of blood glucose levels. The integration of Fitbit data with Health2Sync let me easily view my patients’ activities and self-monitored data, enabling me to make necessary suggestions and give guidance to help patients for further improvement.”

A new study published in The Lancet found that using heart rate variability (HRV), wrist-worn health trackers can provide a range of predictive cardiovascular health metrics.

Researchers gathered data from over eight million users of smartwatches made by Fitbit, the company that funded the study. Over 70 countries were represented in this user group, though nearly half were based in the United States.

Read more Combining Fitbit Wearables With Health2Sync Glucose Control App Improves Diabetes Management

Data collected were from several Fitbit device models, but primarily from Charge 2, Alta HR, Blaze, Versa, and Ionic.

Heart rate variability (HRV) refers to the variation in time between successive heartbeats and represents a non-invasive index of the autonomic nervous system. Because the autonomic nervous system regulates heart rate during sinus rhythm, HRV summarizes complex non-linear cardiovascular accommodative responses, which are dictated by the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems, to dynamic physiological variations.

Researchers analyzed HRV metrics across the time (measured via the root mean square of successive RR interval differences and SD of the RR interval, frequency (measured by high-frequency and low-frequency power), and graphical (measured by Poincare plots) domains.

Findings show that HRV metrics decrease with age across each type of measurement used in the study, reports MobiHealthNews.

This finding suggests a more rapid decline of parasympathetic function with increasing age than of sympathetic activity, the study said.

HRV metrics varied throughout the day, reaching peak values in the early morning hours. Several authors have discussed the effect of physical activity on HRV, and studies have shown beneficial results. According to a study by one group, the correlation between the number of steps measured by Fitbit devices compared with steps counted by researchers is variable during walking and jogging, but this variation is within 7%.

“We aimed to characterize HRV metrics to understand variations by age, sex, time of day, and physical activity level, and to provide benchmarks for HRV metrics among users of Fitbit,” the authors wrote.

The study also found a correlation between physical activity and HRV, such that increased activity could optimize HRV metrics.

Read more Fitbit CEO Reveals He’s Planning to Transform Fitbit To A Digital Healthcare Company

“Our results might have important implications for the remote monitoring of human health given the widespread availability of wrist-worn trackers,” said researchers. “Although HRV metrics have been previously correlated with cardiovascular health and mortality, our technical advance in the analysis of wearable data at large scale and descriptions of the data now permit its potential use for health promotion through tens of millions of currently available wrist-worn commercial trackers.”

A new study published in The Lancet found that using heart rate variability (HRV), wrist-worn health trackers can provide a range of predictive cardiovascular health metrics.

Researchers gathered data from over eight million users of smartwatches made by Fitbit, the company that funded the study. Over 70 countries were represented in this user group, though nearly half were based in the United States.

Read more: Combining Fitbit Wearables With Health2Sync Glucose Control App Improves Diabetes Management

Data collected were from several Fitbit device models, but primarily from Charge 2, Alta HR, Blaze, Versa, and Ionic.

Heart rate variability (HRV) refers to the variation in time between successive heartbeats and represents a non-invasive index of the autonomic nervous system. Because the autonomic nervous system regulates heart rate during sinus rhythm, HRV summarizes complex non-linear cardiovascular accommodative responses, which are dictated by the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems, to dynamic physiological variations.

Researchers analyzed HRV metrics across the time (measured via the root mean square of successive RR interval differences and SD of the RR interval, frequency (measured by high-frequency and low-frequency power), and graphical (measured by Poincare plots) domains.

Findings show that HRV metrics decrease with age across each type of measurement used in the study, reports MobiHealthNews.

This finding suggests a more rapid decline of parasympathetic function with increasing age than of sympathetic activity, the study said.

HRV metrics varied throughout the day, reaching peak values in the early morning hours. Several authors have discussed the effect of physical activity on HRV, and studies have shown beneficial results. According to a study by one group, the correlation between the number of steps measured by Fitbit devices compared with steps counted by researchers is variable during walking and jogging, but this variation is within 7%.

“We aimed to characterize HRV metrics to understand variations by age, sex, time of day, and physical activity level, and to provide benchmarks for HRV metrics among users of Fitbit,” the authors wrote.

The study also found a correlation between physical activity and HRV, such that increased activity could optimize HRV metrics.

Read more: Fitbit CEO Reveals He’s Planning to Transform Fitbit To A Digital Healthcare Company

“Our results might have important implications for the remote monitoring of human health given the widespread availability of wrist-worn trackers,” said researchers. “Although HRV metrics have been previously correlated with cardiovascular health and mortality, our technical advance in the analysis of wearable data at large scale and descriptions of the data now permit its potential use for health promotion through tens of millions of currently available wrist-worn commercial trackers.”

Wearing Fitbit devices with Health2Sync, the number one diabetes management app in Taiwan has been clinically proven to help both users and healthcare providers to control and better manage the symptoms of Type 2 diabetes, according to a study was conducted with four of Taiwan’s leading diabetes clinics.

Related: Fitbit and Solera Health Expand Collaboration to Reduce Type 2 Diabetes Risk

Results from the study in Taiwan revealed an improvement in patients’ health conditions, with participants recording higher levels of physical activity, reduced HbA1C, fasting blood glucose and LDL-C, and higher blood glucose measurement frequency, Fitbit said in a press release.

“We are thrilled to see such optimistic results in the clinical study. We believe that innovations in Fitbit wearable devices and Fitbit health solutions have a major role to play in the global effort against diabetes – whether it is in reducing the onset of diabetes, or helping patients to better manage their condition – and we look forward to further expanding on our partnership with Fitbit,” said Ed Deng, CEO at Health2Sync.

The Health2Sync Patient Management Platform allows healthcare providers to seamlessly monitor patients’ information and provide remote consultative advice where necessary.

The study found:

• Average glycated hemoglobin (HbA1C) decreased 0.33%, while patients who did moderate to high-intensity activity duration of at least 150 mins per week, saw their average HbA1C decreased 0.66%
• Average fasting blood glucose (BG) decreased 10.92 mg/dL
• Average low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) decreased 11.55 mg/dL
• Weight reduction of up to 2 kilograms among some patients
• Increased frequency in moderate to high-intensity activity to 7.03 times a week among some patients

Conducted over a three-month period ending in July 2020 in conjunction with the Neng-Chun Diabetes Clinic, Da-Ya Chang-An Clinic, Yier Clinic and Banqiao Da-Jun Clinic, the study, with patient consent, lets the patients’ doctors track the progress and lifestyle changes of 95 participants with T2DM. Prior to the commencement of the study, doctors at the four clinics established benchmarks for all participating patients based on blood glucose tests at the start of the trial, then on a self-monitored weekly basis throughout the study period.

Each participant was given a Fitbit Inspire HR and the participants voluntarily agreed to connect their Fitbit wearable data with the Health2Sync diabetes management app to track their progress throughout the program. Physical activity data generated from each person’s Fitbit device was integrated into the Health2Sync app, which housed other health metrics such as patients’ HbA1c, BG and cholesterol levels. This let doctors seamlessly monitor patients’ information on the Health2Sync Patient Management Platform and provide remote consultative advice where necessary.

“The results speak for themselves. We saw a reduction in some of our patients' weight by an average of two kilograms and fasting BG levels of study participants from Da-Ya Chang-An clinic decreased 11.10 mg/dL within 3 months, leading to significant health improvements, said Dr. Kuo-Liang Lu of Da-Ya Chang-An Clinic in Taiwan.

Related: UnitedHealth Group Launches New Digital Therapy To Improve Lives Of People With Type 2 Diabetes

Dr. Neng-Chu Yu of Neng-Chun Diabetes Clinic said: "Type 2 diabetes, with the right lifestyle changes – medication adherence, increased activity, and better diet – can lead to major improvements in control of blood glucose levels. The integration of Fitbit data with Health2Sync let me easily view my patients’ activities and self-monitored data, enabling me to make necessary suggestions and give guidance to help patients for further improvement."

The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic are transforming global socioeconomic structures. Experts are expecting an impact that is astronomical in terms of the number of lives lost and jobs disappeared. As the whole world is taking measures to contain the pandemic, digital technology is helping in the fight.

Read more Oura Ring Detects Fever, A Common Symptom of COVID-19, Before It Occurs

Scientists are making efforts to develop diagnostic tests to detect the virus in order to correctly diagnose patients, enact measures such as isolation and quarantine, and manage their treatment accordingly. Companies are developing artificial intelligence solutions for the detection of respiratory diseases quickly tailored their software to differentiate COVID-19 from other respiratory infections, decreasing image analysis time to a matter of seconds.

According to Ahmad AbuSalah, health informatics and intelligence officer at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre, the pandemic is highlighting the need to drive digital maturity with investment, while addressing data sharing models, reports MobiHealthNews. “One of the challenges that we face here in the Middle East are data collaboration and data sharing. As you know, data is the backbone of digital transformation. Using data discovery tools, I can tell in a secure way how many patients are available in the hospital in that region,” Mr. AbuSalah said.

Wearables have also been explored by countries as a means of contact tracing and safe reopening. British telecommunications firm Vodafone is deploying heat detection cameras at the entrance or reception area of workplaces. The cameras are made by surveillance tech maker Digital Barriers.

Canadian technology company Proxxi launched Halo, a wearable band to help employees maintain social distancing at work. Halo notifies wearers that another band is within 6 feet (2 meters), reminding them of the need to maintain social distance.

Read more BlueCats Launches Fully Configurable Wearable Contact Tracing Solution

Rapid innovation and implementation of digital technology has allowed healthcare firms to navigate the challenges from the covid-19 pandemic and safely care for their patients. Willingness to rapidly adopt technology has truly helped healthcare professionals during this time of fear and uncertainty.

Digital therapeutics company Kaia Health is partnering with Italian pharma firm Chiesi Group to commercialize its chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) rehabilitation app in Europe.

Read more Hexoskin Smart Shirt Accurately Measures Breathing, Could be Useful for Monitoring COPD

The agreement marks one of the first times in respiratory care that a digital therapeutics company and pharmaceutical company are partnering to bring patients a digital therapeutic that supports COPD treatment outcomes through behavior change, rather than relying on pharmacology.

“Our strategic partnership with Chiesi, a growing global company with an established European commercial presence, brings a wealth of experience in navigating the respiratory health landscape in Europe, while expanding patient access to evidence-based, digital physical pulmonary rehabilitation,” said Konstantin Mehl, Founder and President, Kaia Health. “The entire Kaia Health team is excited to join forces with Chiesi to enhance COPD patient care and quality of life through digital therapeutics”.

COPD is a long-term condition that causes inflammation in the lungs, damaged lung tissue and a narrowing of the airways, making breathing difficult. It is an enormous cost for healthcare systems in Europe.

Under the partnership arrangement, the evidence-backed Kaia Health COPD digital therapeutic, which delivers a personalized, physical pulmonary rehabilitation experience, will be highly focused on key markets in Europe., Chiesi Group said in a press release.

The Kaia COPD solution consists of a mobile app-based software program, accessed via an iOS or Android smartphone or tablet, and an interface for motivational support that can be delivered by a provider such as health coaches or healthcare professionals. It digitizes and delivers affordable, accessible, physical Pulmonary Rehabilitation – an essential component of COPD treatment – directly to patients’ homes on their smartphone. The app also delivers comprehensive education and customized daily training sessions, along with mindfulness and stress relief exercises, augmented with human coaching support and individualized therapy. The Kaia COPD solution has been investigated in one pilot trial and is currently the subject of an ongoing RCT in Europe. The Kaia Health COPD app is CE Marked in Europe as a Class 1 medical device.

Kaia Health is a member of the Digital Therapeutics Alliance (DTA), an international non-profit trade association of industry leaders and stakeholders engaged in the evidence-driven advancement of digital therapeutics.

Read more Spry Health’s the Loop System Wearable Gets FDA Clearance for Monitoring COPD Patients

“We’re pleased to partner with Kaia Health to complement and further strengthen our portfolio in the respiratory therapeutic area, expanding our ability to address patient care through a non-pharmacological approach” said Ugo Di Francesco, Chief Executive Officer of the Chiesi Group. “This agreement embodies Chiesi’s commitment to providing the highest level of care and quality of life possible for people living with COPD and other respiratory diseases, going beyond merely those issues addressable through medication. We have been impressed with Kaia Health’s experience to date bringing impactful digital solutions to the European market and are looking forward to helping European COPD patients benefit from their expertise”.

Digital therapeutics company Kaia Health is partnering with Italian pharma firm Chiesi Group to commercialize its chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) rehabilitation app in Europe.

Read more: Hexoskin Smart Shirt Accurately Measures Breathing, Could be Useful for Monitoring COPD

The agreement marks one of the first times in respiratory care that a digital therapeutics company and pharmaceutical company are partnering to bring patients a digital therapeutic that supports COPD treatment outcomes through behavior change, rather than relying on pharmacology.

“Our strategic partnership with Chiesi, a growing global company with an established European commercial presence, brings a wealth of experience in navigating the respiratory health landscape in Europe, while expanding patient access to evidence-based, digital physical pulmonary rehabilitation,” said Konstantin Mehl, Founder and President, Kaia Health. “The entire Kaia Health team is excited to join forces with Chiesi to enhance COPD patient care and quality of life through digital therapeutics”.

COPD is a long-term condition that causes inflammation in the lungs, damaged lung tissue and a narrowing of the airways, making breathing difficult. It is an enormous cost for healthcare systems in Europe.

Under the partnership arrangement, the evidence-backed Kaia Health COPD digital therapeutic, which delivers a personalized, physical pulmonary rehabilitation experience, will be highly focused on key markets in Europe., Chiesi Group said in a press release.

The Kaia COPD solution consists of a mobile app-based software program, accessed via an iOS or Android smartphone or tablet, and an interface for motivational support that can be delivered by a provider such as health coaches or healthcare professionals. It digitizes and delivers affordable, accessible, physical Pulmonary Rehabilitation - an essential component of COPD treatment - directly to patients' homes on their smartphone. The app also delivers comprehensive education and customized daily training sessions, along with mindfulness and stress relief exercises, augmented with human coaching support and individualized therapy. The Kaia COPD solution has been investigated in one pilot trial and is currently the subject of an ongoing RCT in Europe. The Kaia Health COPD app is CE Marked in Europe as a Class 1 medical device.

Kaia Health is a member of the Digital Therapeutics Alliance (DTA), an international non-profit trade association of industry leaders and stakeholders engaged in the evidence-driven advancement of digital therapeutics.

Read more: Spry Health’s the Loop System Wearable Gets FDA Clearance for Monitoring COPD Patients

“We’re pleased to partner with Kaia Health to complement and further strengthen our portfolio in the respiratory therapeutic area, expanding our ability to address patient care through a non-pharmacological approach” said Ugo Di Francesco, Chief Executive Officer of the Chiesi Group. “This agreement embodies Chiesi’s commitment to providing the highest level of care and quality of life possible for people living with COPD and other respiratory diseases, going beyond merely those issues addressable through medication. We have been impressed with Kaia Health’s experience to date bringing impactful digital solutions to the European market and are looking forward to helping European COPD patients benefit from their expertise”.

The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic are transforming global socioeconomic structures. Experts are expecting an impact that is astronomical in terms of the number of lives lost and jobs disappeared. As the whole world is taking measures to contain the pandemic, digital technology is helping in the fight.

Read more: Oura Ring Detects Fever, A Common Symptom of COVID-19, Before It Occurs

Scientists are making efforts to develop diagnostic tests to detect the virus in order to correctly diagnose patients, enact measures such as isolation and quarantine, and manage their treatment accordingly. Companies are developing artificial intelligence solutions for the detection of respiratory diseases quickly tailored their software to differentiate COVID-19 from other respiratory infections, decreasing image analysis time to a matter of seconds.

According to Ahmad AbuSalah, health informatics and intelligence officer at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre, the pandemic is highlighting the need to drive digital maturity with investment, while addressing data sharing models, reports MobiHealthNews. “One of the challenges that we face here in the Middle East are data collaboration and data sharing. As you know, data is the backbone of digital transformation. Using data discovery tools, I can tell in a secure way how many patients are available in the hospital in that region,” Mr. AbuSalah said.

Wearables have also been explored by countries as a means of contact tracing and safe reopening. British telecommunications firm Vodafone is deploying heat detection cameras at the entrance or reception area of workplaces. The cameras are made by surveillance tech maker Digital Barriers.

Canadian technology company Proxxi launched Halo, a wearable band to help employees maintain social distancing at work. Halo notifies wearers that another band is within 6 feet (2 meters), reminding them of the need to maintain social distance.

Read more: BlueCats Launches Fully Configurable Wearable Contact Tracing Solution

Rapid innovation and implementation of digital technology has allowed healthcare firms to navigate the challenges from the covid-19 pandemic and safely care for their patients. Willingness to rapidly adopt technology has truly helped healthcare professionals during this time of fear and uncertainty.