French drugmaker Sanofi and US-based Verily Life Sciences (formerly Google Life Sciences) have launched a joint-venture company, Onduo, in a bid to improve patients’ management of diabetes. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, Onduo’s aim is to develop comprehensive solutions that combine devices, software, medicine and professional care to enable simple and intelligent management of the condition which causes blood sugar levels to become too high.

The jv will leverage Verily’s experience in miniaturized electronics, analytics and consumer software development, as well as Sanofi’s clinical expertise and experience in diabetes treatment. “From monitoring food intake to testing glucose levels to actively seeking medical care, the challenges both on the physical and mental well-being of a person living with diabetes are incredibly difficult," said Joshua Riff, Onduo’s CEO.

The initial focus is on type 2 diabetes but will eventually extend to patients living with type 1 diabetes as well as those at risk of developing the disease. "The integration of multiple interventions, such as data-driven patient support and devices in addition to treatment, can help improve outcomes," said Peter Guenter, head of Sanofi's Global Diabetes & Cardiovascular Business Unit. He added that Onduo would adopt "a more service-centric approach" which would help societies cope with the “burden of this epidemic”.

There is still a huge unmet medical need in diabetes. Less than a third of people with type 1 diabetes and nearly half of all patients with type 2 are said to fail to meet their blood sugar targets, putting them at a much higher risk of developing serious complications. The formation of Onduo comes just a month after Verily announced it was teaming up with UK drugmaker Glaxo SmithKline (GSK) to focus on developing bioelectronic medicines for chronic diseases.