NEW YORK (360Dx) – Siemens Healthineers and Healthy.io said today that they have entered a global original equipment manufacturer (OEM) alliance to market a smartphone system for chronic kidney disease monitoring in the home.
The companies said that they plan to integrate Siemens Healthineers' urinalysis reagents into Healthy.io’s smartphone-based urinalysis system. Tel Aviv, Israel-based Healthy.io uses computer vision and machine learning to convert a smartphone camera into a clinical grade medical device for improved patient access and convenience.
Periodic urine testing to monitor kidney function is traditionally performed in a clinician’s office, which can be time consuming for patients. The alliance with Healthy.io will lead to a convenient alternative for patients, Siemens said.
Christoph Pedain, EVP of point-of-care diagnostics at Erlangen, Germany-based Siemens Healthineers, said in a statement that "Increased access to albumin-to-creatinine ratio testing — whether at home or at the physician’s office — is critical to reducing the economic burden of chronic disease and to improving patient outcomes.”
Healthy.io Founder and CEO Yonatan Adiri said that his firm and Siemens Healthineers share a vision for a future in healthcare in which "consumers take greater control of their healthcare in a way that complements the existing clinical workflow."
With a home testing option for urinalysis, consumers would gain broad access to albumin-to-creatinine ratio testing, aiding patients to comply with physician instructions for frequent urinalysis tests and helping to improve patient outcomes overall, the firms said.
Between 8 and 10 percent of the adult population globally has some form of kidney damage, according to Siemens Healthineers, citing statistics from World Kidney Day, a global awareness group for kidney health. Undetected chronic kidney damage can lead to kidney failure and increase a patient’s risk of premature death from associated cardiovascular diseases.
Separately, Siemens said recently that it has invested RMB 3 billion ($432.4 million) in a laboratory diagnostic plant in Shanghai, marking an important expansion to one of its key facilities in China.