Diabetes Innovation – mHealth; Quantified Self; Business Model

I’m not a diabetic, but I’ve been researching the topic to understand the space and what innovation is occurring around diabetes. This is a space where there are lots of applications, tools, devices, communities, and research. The ADA estimates the total US cost at $218B with very high prevalence. If you expand that on a global scale, the costs and impact is staggering.

• Total: 25.8 million children and adults in the United States—8.3% of the population—have diabetes.
• Diagnosed: 18.8 million people
• Undiagnosed: 7.0 million people
• Prediabetes: 79 million people*
• New Cases: 1.9 million new cases of diabetes are diagnosed in people aged 20 years and older in 2010.

So, what’s being done about it? And, what opportunities exist? I think you’ve certainly seen a lot of innovation events being sponsored by pharma and others.

• Joslin Innovation Event – http://www.joslin.org/diabetesinnovation2012.html
• Sanofi Innovation Challenge – http://www.datadesigndiabetes.com/
• Novo Nordisk Research Grant – http://www.novonordisk-us.com/documents/article_page/document/diabetes_innovation_awards.asp
• Diabetes Mine Innovation Challenge – http://www.diabetesmine.com/2012/11/straight-talking-at-the-2012-diabetesmine-innovation-summit.html
• NHS Innovation Hub – http://www.diabetes.nhs.uk/innovations_hub/

You’ve seen a shift from drug to engagement for a few years as evidenced in this old post about Roche – http://www.diabetesmine.com/2009/10/a-visit-to-the-roche-new-concept-incubator.html

You’ve seen a proliferation of diabetes apps. (A prime opportunity for Happtique.)

• A list of useful apps from the University of Florida – http://diabetes.ufl.edu/my-diabetes/diabetes-resources/diabetes-apps/

From my traditional PBM/Pharmacy focus, you’ve seen several efforts there:

• CVS Caremark Pharmacy Advisor – http://www.cvscaremarkfyi.com/blogs/our-pharmacy-advisor-program
• Walgreens – They have a lot of efforts including partnering with Joslin – http://www.joslin.org/bp/walgreens.html
• Humana – Partnered up with dLife – http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20120731006082/en/Humana-dLife-Launch-Multimedia-Diabetes-Engagement-Experience
• Cigna with VBID – http://www.vbhealth.org/outcomes-based-contracting-2/cigna-merck-obctm-delivers-on-vbbd-dividends

Obviously, Medco (pre-Express Scripts acquisition) thought enough of this space to buy Liberty Medical.

I pulled some screen shots and examples into a deck that I posted on SlideShare. I’d welcome people’s thoughts on what’s missing or what are the key pain points from a diabetes perspective (e.g., not integrated devices).

While I was doing my research, I found a few interesting things worth sharing.

Several interesting studies:

• Use of Social Marketing to Develop Culturally Innovative Diabetes Interventions –
  http://spectrum.diabetesjournals.org/content/16/1/15.full
• Multiple studies from the Center For Connected Health – http://www.connected-health.org/programs/diabetes/research-materials–external-resources/diabetes-connected-health-a-pilot-study-of-a-patient–and-provider-shared-glucose-monitoring-web-application.aspx
• mHealth and disadvantaged populations – http://www.healthcare-informatics.com/news-item/study-mhealth-helps-diabetes-management-disadvantage-populations

Some good slide decks:

• From the Diabetes Mine innovation event – http://www.slideshare.net/AllianceHealthNetworks/tag/innovation-summit
• From PhRMA – http://www.innovation.org/documents/File/phrma_chart_pack.pdf
• CDC slides – http://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/statistics/diabetes_slides.htm

Additionally a few videos:

• Diabetes in India – http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/11/health/nalini-saligram-diabetes-mobile/index.html
• TEDx video – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktQzM2IA-qU
• Dr. Oz – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEmf9ZVjfWw

I also posted some diabetes infographics on my blog – https://georgevanantwerp.com/2012/12/13/more-diabetes-infographics/

And, while I started to pull together a list of diabetes twitter accounts below, you can follow @AskManny’s list with 360 people already tagged in it. https://twitter.com/askmanny/diabetes

My starting twitter List:

• https://twitter.com/TCOYD
• https://twitter.com/AskManny
• https://twitter.com/HopeWarshaw
• https://twitter.com/DiabetesHF
• https://twitter.com/michLitch
• https://twitter.com/OmadaHealth
• https://twitter.com/Diabetes_Sanofi
• https://twitter.com/AmyDBMine
• https://twitter.com/DiabetesDaily
• https://twitter.com/DiabetesMine
• https://twitter.com/AMDiabetesAssn
• https://twitter.com/JoslinDiabetes
• https://twitter.com/Diabetesfacts
• https://twitter.com/MDT_Diabetes
• https://twitter.com/DiabetesConnect
• https://twitter.com/txtngmypancreas
• https://twitter.com/HeartofDiabetes
• https://twitter.com/JDRF
• https://twitter.com/dLife
• https://twitter.com/EndoGoddess
• https://twitter.com/tudiabetes
• https://twitter.com/diaTribe
• https://twitter.com/landileigh
• https://twitter.com/diabeticizme
• https://twitter.com/glucoholic
• https://twitter.com/kathweaver
• https://twitter.com/diabetescare
• https://twitter.com/mydiabeticheart
• https://twitter.com/ndep
• https://twitter.com/sugarstats
• https://twitter.com/diabetescure
• https://twitter.com/diabetesUK
• https://twitter.com/glooko