- Approximately 5.2 million individuals in the UK have type 2 diabetes1, and a further 1.3 million are undiagnosed2
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PocDoc’s “Diabetes Health Check” is the world’s first ever smartphone-based HbA1c blood test for type 2 diabetes
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New test will revolutionise preventative treatment for a disease that costs the NHS £8.8 billion per year3
August, Cambridge: A landmark step in diabetes prevention has been made by PocDoc, the UK’s leading digital health diagnostics company, which has today launched the world’s first smartphone-based test for type 2 diabetes risk including the gold-standard blood biomarker, HbA1c
The new test follows the success of PocDoc’s flagship product, the “Healthy Heart Check”, an at-home finger-prick test for cardiovascular disease (CVD). With the “Healthy Heart Check” having established itself as the most widely used CVD screening test in communities, workplaces and homes in the UK and set to be the best-selling test since COVID4, the company is now targeting diabetes prevention.
Type 2 diabetes has been on the rise in the UK. Around 5.2 million people in the UK have been diagnosed with the condition5 and a further 1.3 million are undiagnosed6. This has put a significant financial strain on the healthcare system, costing the NHS over £8.8 billion7, with studies suggesting that the annual cost of the disease could increase to £16.9 billion8 in the next 25 years.
PocDoc’s “Diabetes Health Check” answers the need for rapid, convenient type 2 diabetes risk screening that reaches those most at risk of developing this chronic illness. It is an easy-to-use service, designed to be used in the home, communities, workplaces and clinical environments.
The new service combines the HbA1c biomarker – the gold standard blood test for diabetes, providing patients with a measure of average blood sugar levels for the previous 2 to 3 months – with PocDoc’s proprietary smartphone technology (PocDocOS).
The test is simple; patients provide a finger-prick blood sample, which they place on PocDoc’s patented microfluidic assay (MFA). Using the PocDoc app, the patient then scans the MFA and receives their result almost instantaneously, enabling them to learn about their risk of the disease in a matter of minutes, in contrast to a process which can currently take weeks or months.
With the risk of type 2 diabetes able to be reduced by 50% through lifestyle changes, an added benefit of PocDoc’s test is that it enables patients to understand their risk early and make changes to their lifestyle accordingly.
PocDoc’s technology is a game-changer in enhancing preventative care for this chronic disease. It supports the NHS priorities around Type 2 Diabetes prevention and aligns with the Government’s recently announced 10-year plan for the NHS, which focuses on home and community-based, digital prevention.
The test is being piloted in the Northeast and North Cumbria as part of a testing project commissioned by the Health Innovation Northeast and North Cumbria (HI NENC). .
The launch of PocDoc’s second test in the last two years is a marker of its leading position in the digital diagnostics market and the growing scale of its high-tech R+D and operational capacity, all based in the UK.
With the global market for diabetes diagnostics testing set to reach $59.4 billion by 203010, the company is perfectly positioned to continue its rapid ascent, with ambitions to expand internationally by the end of 2025.
Steve Roest, CEO at PocDoc comments: “Expanding into type 2 diabetes prevention marks the next step in PocDoc’s mission to advance preventative care for chronic diseases.
“Enabling screening for type 2 diabetes risk including blood biomarkers via a smartphone app is something that has never been done before. It demonstrates the power of PocDoc’s patented technology and it also aligns directly with the NHS’s three key shifts – enabling earlier detection and prevention, delivering more personalised care pathways, and moving testing and diagnosis into community and home settings.
“This approach doesn’t just improve patient access; it helps ease pressure on frontline services and supports a more sustainable, digitally enabled NHS.
“We’re excited to see the results of the roll-out with our NHS partners in the Northeast and North Cumbria, before we take the product to market across the rest of the UK later in the year.”
Professor Julia Newton, at Health Innovation Northeast and North Cumbria (HI NENC) commented: “Type 2 diabetes impacts thousands of individuals across the UK. But this is a disease which can be easily prevented and reversed through early detection, dietary and lifestyle changes.
“Digital testing services like PocDoc’s will make it easier for thousands of people to identify their risk of this disease, at the touch of a button. We’re delighted to be the first to pilot this revolutionary product in the UK, which has the potential to save thousands of lives”
