Google's Life Sciences to Partner with Sanofi on Diabetes Therapies and Monitors

Google’s Life Sciences to Partner with Sanofi on Diabetes Therapies and Monitors
August 31, 2015
By Mark Terry, BioSpace.com Breaking News Staff

Paris-based Sanofi announced today that it will partner with Google /Alphabet’s Life Sciences on diabetes monitoring and treatment. No financial details were disclosed.

“As a global leader in diabetes care, we have both an obligation and a commitment to provide integrated solutions for people living with diabetes,” said Olivier Brandicourt, chief executive officer of Sanofi in a statement. “This initiative combines Sanofi’s strength and knowledge in diabetes with Google Inc.’s leadership in technology and analytics to create a first-of-its-kind initiative with the potential to transform diabetes care.”

Google, which recently announced that it was forming an umbrella holding company, Alphabet, and spinning off various companies, including Life Sciences, announced on Aug. 20, 2015 that the first company to stand alone under Alphabet was Life Sciences. Life Sciences is developing contact lenses that can monitor blood sugar levels with Alcon Laboratories, Inc. , a division of Novartis . It also has a 10-year collaboration deal with Chicago-based AbbVie to study age-related diseases.

On Aug. 15, Life Sciences entered a partnership with DexCom to develop a Band-Aid sized wearable glucose monitor.

“Diabetics are far more likely to have heart attacks, they’re far more likely to have cancer, and they’re 15 times more likely to have their foot cut off because of vascular issues,” said Andy Conrad, chief executive officer of Life Sciences, to Bloomberg. “If we could prevent strong and profound fluctuations in the levels of blood sugar, we could prevent most of the problems associated with diabetes.”

Life Sciences appears to have focused its work on the diabetes market, with, as Conrad said, “smart insulin delivery devices, smart measurement devices, and an interface and an integrating platform that helps physicians and patients see how they’re doing.”

“We are experiencing a worldwide pandemic of diabetes, and it’s very encouraging to see healthcare and technology innovators step up to the challenge of providing cutting edge tools and care advancing technologies to help people with diabetes manage their disease, 24/7,” said John Brooks, III, president and chief executive officer of 373904, in a statement. Joslin is a partner in the Life Science-Sanofi collaboration. “Technology, sensors, analytics, and digital solutions will revolutionize how blood sugars are managed, which will deliver improved quality of life, lowering the risk of complications and reducing the costs and barriers associated with diabetes care. Ultimately, I truly hope we’re able to turn the Joslin Diabetes Center into a museum.”

At least part of the partnership will be focusing on helping Life Sciences create small, Internet-based devices that either automatically adjust insulin levels, or make suggestions based on real-time monitoring.

Sanofi is a leader in insulin-related products. In 2014 about 21 percent of its revenue came from diabetes-related products. However, its bestselling insulin product, Lantus, loses patent protection this year.

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