Disclosure: I do not know for sure whether this company intends to enter this year’s DiabetesMine Design Challenge competition (although I hope so!); I’ve simply been corresponding with the co-founder for several weeks and find the product interesting — and hopefully inspirational for all fans of diabetes innovation.
A small company in Finland called Mendor has caught the diabetes-consumer-design bug. The glucose meter they’re developing by the same name bears a striking resemblance to a cellphone, with the lancing device and test strips built right in, making it extremely portable and easy to use. God knows I’m a big fan of all-in-one D-products that reduce our hassles.
I like the look and feel of this meter, and the ease of use.
And yes, it’s a lot like the OnQ All-inOne meter from Intuity Medical, which has $64 million backing its push for FDA clearance at this time.
Competitor from Intuity Medical
Like the OnQ, the Mendor all-in-one meter is convenient and discreet. It requires no carry case or any other extra components (separate lancing device or strip vial). It fits easily into a pocket or purse and it can be used for days and weeks without no need to frequently reload strips (depending on how many strips you use per day).
The Mendor device is also fully mechanically operated, so there is no noisy electric motor or beeps.
The “magic” of Mendor is apparently the unique web-based data logging software that comes with the meter. According to the company, it “is not like all the log books out there, but rather helps diabetics at home and professionals at practices to determine the current state of patients treatment with a couple of easy steps.” Since it’s not out yet, the real benefits of their program remain to be seen. But I like their thinking, anyway.
So it gets high marks on form factor and user-friendliness, but there are limits to the innovation here; no wireless technology is employed yet, and no — the meter does not interact with any pumps or CGM systems, even via cable at this time.
And now to real-world adoption issues: the biggest open question is pricing for patients — make-or-break in my book. According to the company, exact test strip pricing is not set yet. Assuming strips are loaded on a cartridge, how many will each cartridge contain and what is the cost??
The Mendor meter and software will be launched in Finland and EU markets during 2010. USA launch is planned to take place during 2011, so let’s keep our eyes peeled: how will they fare vs. Intuity’s device? Or something else, even cooler, that might come out of this year’s Design Challenge?
Very interesting. Is there any info on the exact size / measurements of this meter? I love my Accu-Check Compact Plus for it’s all-in-one-ness. Drum of 17 strips gets loaded in and the lancet is attached to the side of the meter. What I don’t like it that it’s not really “compact” – it’s huge compared to the small meters available these days. I do chose to sacrifice smallness for convenience, but I’d gladly switch meters if a smaller all-in-one came along!
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The Mendor Blood Glucose Meter definitely sounds good! It looks nice and appears to be a lot more comprehensible and user-friendly.
Hello,
I too use the the all in one Accu-Check and I absolutely love it. I too wish I could find one more compact. It’s not that fun carrying mine around even though it is “compact.”
-Chris
Hi all,
Karen, the Mendor meter is about the size of an iPhone.
Best regards. Kristian / Mendor
Wow, Great device!! its the size of a cell phone and it is used for 13 hours at a time taking six samples an hour to track trends in glucose levels say for someone who has brittle diabetes or other troubles controlling blood sugars.
Hi!
When can I get this in sweden?
Btw. Anyone has a list of the best all-in -one meters?
I hate the ones that has a machine sound when changing strips.
best regards
Dear Peter,
you can get it in Sweden now.
Please check out http://shop.mendor.com
We deliver to Sweden in couple of days time.
You can pay in Kronor!
Best regards. Kristian Ranta
I think these modules are not necessary. I would suggest to using a plug-ins for your iPhone or Android Smartphones. The Plug-ins are very reasonably priced and compact. Blood sugar levels are displayed on the Smartphone screen and sugar levels if required can be transmitted to your doctor or parents and can alert if there is any serious problem with diabetics
[...] New Cellphone-Like All-in-One Glucose Meter from Finland [...]