Qualcomm is making a new push in pharma with two partnerships designed to move data from mobile devices onto the company's three-year-old 2net platform, where that information can be viewed by clinicians.
In a press conference at CES 2015 this week in Las Vegas, the San Diego-based chipmaker's Qualcomm Life subsidiary announced it's joining forces with Walgreens to connect mobile devices to the drugstore chain's mobile and web applications and its "Balance Rewards for Healthy Choices" program. In addition, Qualcomm Life is partnering with Novartis to make the 2net platform available for the pharmaceutical giant's "Trials of the Future" program.
Walgreens' Balance Rewards program allows members to earn points for participating in health-related programs and tracking their progress. Through the 2net platform, members will be able to connect mobile devices to their account, earning points and enabling pharmacists to access health status information and biometric data.
Integral to this program is Walgreen's rollout this year of three connected devices that will be compatible with the 2net platform – a blood glucose meter and two versions of a blood pressure cuff, one of which can be worn on the wrist.
“Whether transitioning from a hospital to the home or managing a chronic condition such as heart disease or diabetes, Walgreens' connectivity solution powered by Qualcomm Life will allow us to help our customers achieve improved health through regular biometric communication with their providers,” Adam Pellegrini, Walgreens' divisional vice president of digital health, said in a press release. “Additionally, Qualcomm Life’s platforms help us to reward participating customers for their choice to become more informed and engaged in their healthcare.”
In the Novartis partnership, the 2net platform will be harnessed to connect with and gather data from medical devices used by those taking part in clinical trials, enabling them to share data from their homes and allowing Novartis researchers to quickly gather and tap into that information. That ability will provide Novartis "a great range of flexibility and scalability," Qualcomm Life senior vice president Rick Valencia said in a prepared statement, and it will ultimately enable them to create "more efficient, cost-effective clinical trials."
Qualcomm's aspirations in healthcare were highlighted during company president Derek Aberle's keynote speech this week at CES.
"Healthcare is an area that we've spent a lot of time on over the last 10 years. And up to the last few years, the industry wasn't ready to start really adopting mobile technology," he said. "But now we're seeing a transformation in mobile health. The medical devices and technology needed for those devices has really matured and come to a place where the solutions are there, and they really work well."
