Sanofi-aventis Launches iBGStar Blood Glucose Meter

One of the most talked-about announcements at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) was a new blood glucose monitor that will connect to the iPhone and iPod Touch - this is sanofi-aventis' new no-coding iBGStar meter, which uses technology from AgaMatrix. The device attaches to Apple products through the dock connector and it's a little smaller than a USB memory stick. However, the iBGStar is itself a fully self-contained blood glucose meter - despite its tiny size - and even has its own display. This approach will make regulatory approval easier: since the iPhone isn't necessary to the system, Apple hasn't itself started manufacturing medical devices! (Not yet, anyway...) The meter transfers blood glucose readings to an iPhone application that should enable more streamlined management - we look forward to seeing how easy it is to create graphs of historical data, identify patterns, and email them to healthcare teams. The iBGStar app appear almost identical to AgaMatrix's WaveSense Diabetes Manager (currently available on the app store); they also look good, and it's now just to make sure that the meters can be manufactured by the bucketload and that quality is kept high. The iBGStar should be available in the US in 2011. (Sanofi-aventis also launched the BGStar at EASD, a more conventional-looking meter - however, to our knowledge, this will not be introduced to the US market, presumably due to too much stiff competition here.) --VW