Glucose Monitoring Program Continues

Under a program to commercialize a continuous glucose monitoring technology, Abbott Laboratories (Abbott Park, IL, USA) has agreed to make a US$1 million milestone payment to SpectRx, Inc. (Norcorss, GA, USA). The two companies are developing a technology for providing continuous glucose readings without using needles or drawing blood, initiated by SpectRx.

Under a 1999 agreement, Abbott has exclusive worldwide marketing rights to Spectrx's interstitial fluid (ISF) continuous glucose monitoring technology. The agreement includes financing, development milestone payments, and cooperative research and development. Under the agreement, SpectRx will receive a royalty on sales of disposables and has the option to manufacture continuous monitoring devices for Abbott.

The glucose monitoring sensor, worn on top of the skin, would allow people with diabetes to continuously monitor their glucose levels without the pain and inconvenience of multiple finger-stick blood tests or implanting a sensor. Prototypes of the device have shown the capability of providing readings once a minute. A stream of ISF is collected through an array of microscopic holes or micropores created with a laser in the outer layer of skin and measured in a patch containing a glucose sensor.

"We remain committed to providing innovation for people living with diabetes and believe this will drive growth at SpectRx well into the future,” said Mark A. Samuels, chairman and CEO of SpectRx.




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