PharmaMedDevice Industry Blog

IT Communications for Life

CELL PHONES OPEN NEW OPTIONS FOR FUTURE MEDICAL CARE

…Add information technology to the list of converging industries!  The telecommunications giant QualComm is looking at innovative ways to transform cell phones into medical devices that are capable of acting as glucose meters to wirelessly monitor blood sugar levels for diabetic patients.  CardioNet, a San Diego startup company, is already using QualComm’s technology with its mobile cardiac outpatient telemetry (MCOT) technology and service.  This monitoring device can detect an abnormal heartbeat, and transmit the patient’s ECG to a central monitoring center.  Certified cardiovascular technicians can analyze the data 24/7 and respond appropriately, including alerting Emergency Medial Services, if needed.

QualComm launched a mobile venture network operator (MVNO) company called

Healthcare Innovations for Baby Boomers

We’ve all heard that markets targeted at the baby boomers hold great promise for growth.  The same can be true for the healthcare market.  Surprisingly, the S&P Health Care index rose only 5.4% in 2006, the worst performance of any major sector! This was also well behind the overall S&P rise of 13.6%.  On a positive note, the 2007 forecast looks much more promising, with the Health Care index showing encouraging signs of recovery  - and up 8.2% YTD as of May 18.  Some of the most active segments include those that will cater to the healthcare needs of the aging baby boomers.

Many baby boomers are interested in continuing to lead an active lifestyle