Today, Sanofi-Aventis announced that it’s getting into the glucose meter manufacturing business, by partnering with a small company known for highly accurate meter technology, AgaMatrix (makers of WaveSense products, based on a patented electrochemistry formula).
Reports say the new Sanofi-branded meters will be out later this year, and that this move is part of a larger strategy to h
elp Sanofi offer a “full diabetes management solution” — beyond its insulins, Lantus and Apidra, and the pens it markets to deliver them.
I sure had a lot of questions, as I’m sure you all do! How will another new meter model compete? Will it offer anything special, like Bluetooth connectivity (a la the WaveSense Jazz)? Or a special no-pain lancing device? What about data downloading? Will AgaMatrix make a special version of its ZeroClick software?
The good news is that I was able to reach Sonny Vu, Co-Founder and Chairman of AgaMatrix, for comment. The bad news is that most of the detail of this deal is still under wraps. Here’s what Sonny was legally able to tell me so far:
* Sanofi is “still finalizing their branding strategy” on the new meters, so the product name remains TBD
* AgaMatrix will continue to manufacture and market its WaveSense products independently
* The new meters they build for Sanofi will be based on current WaveSense high-accuracy technology
* As far as special features, Sanofi “wants to take the world by surprise with what they roll out”
* Ease-of-use will be a high priority in development, and yes — that goes for the downloading software as well, “which could include ZeroClick”
On test strip pricing, Sonny had this to say: “We’re very competitive due to our WaveSense technology, that allows for extremely precise testing and detecting in manufacturing. We can produce strips at a higher volume, and scrap less. That is, other companies often produce batches of strips that are ‘almost according to spec, but not quite,’ and then you cannot sell them.”
On the recent FDA Hearings covering glucose meter accuracy: “We’re loving it! We feel it’s been a long time coming. The user deserves better accuracy. We’re glad they’re recognizing this need and prioritizing it for the industry and clinical environments, as well as for the end user.”
“The thing that was surprising to me was the experts essentially saying, ‘If you’re not on insulin, you can use a less accurate meter.’ Who wants to hear that from their doctor? … People think more accurate means more expensive, but it doesn’t have to be.”
On current accuracy standards: “We came into this business thinking, ‘Plus or minus 2o%? Are you kidding me? Let’s shoot for five.’ It’s not easy, but that’s what we’ve been working toward for the past seven years.”
“We have several white papers done by third parties, validating that we have nearly twice the accuracy of the industry standard, which would be +/- 10%. I know for sure we hit +/-15% easily, and our goal is still +/-5%, so four times the current industry standard.”
Congratulations to AgaMatrix on the Sanofi deal today. We anxiously await summer, to get more details on what the new meters (and Sanofi’s whole ‘solution’) will look and feel like.
Amy
I’m always glad to hear about new things coming to market, but tge bane of my life, as a pumper, is all the junk I have to carry around and make sure is in date: I wish other meter manufacturers would follow Abbott’s lead and incorporate blood ketone testing into their glucose meters.
Until that happens, I’m sticking with my deeply unsexy Optium Xceed (or am I the only diabetic in the world who tests for ketones?).
If they can get 5% accuracy, or even 10%, I’d switch in a heartbeat.
If these new meters are so very accurate, I do hope they can convince the insurance companies that we should be using them. I prefer the Freestyle Lite that Abbott makes, but since my insurance company only reimburses me 80% for those, versus 90% for the One Touch strips, I use the One Touch strips. (I hope I’m wrong, but things may get even worse when ObamaCare takes over!)
Thanks for this post. It made me look into the wavesense meters and I plan on switching from the One touch ultra to either the Jazz or this new meter once it’s released. According to the whitepaper on the Jazz, 90% of the test results are with 10% accuracy of the lab test results. That’s amazing that they achieve this kind of accuracy and it’s like a best kept secret.
I had been forced to use the One touch meters by my insurance company for the last five years with no other choices. I was shocked when I inquired about coverage for the Jazz to find out that the test strips are not only covered but will actually cost 1/3 the price of the one touch strips for a 3 month supply!!! I never would have know this if I hadn’t called.
Thanks for the good information on this crazy disease.
I’ve been using the Wavesense Presto for over 2 years and am constantly astonished at its Consistency. I can’t attest to its actual Accuracy but multiple readings taken from the same drop of blood (to calibrate my Dexcom) are never more than 5 points different, and often are identical. I’ve never had an “outlier” (80-100 points off) that I often experienced with my One-Touch. Kudos to Agamatrix for an outstanding product!
Too bad the Dexcom is still +/- 20%
Heard Medtronic is coming out with a new sensor in the fall that is even more accurate, smaller, and more comfortable.
Can’t wait!