Correction: A previous version of this story mistated the projected timeline for the combined product. It is Q1 this year, not Q1 next year.

WellDoc and Voluntis, two companies with FDA-cleared, clinically validated platforms aimed at the management of Type 2 diabetes, have signed a commercial agreement to combine their technologies and offer joint products in the future.

“My thought is that a lot of us in digital health, specifically in diabetes, have one aspect of a solution that providers, patients, health plans are looking for,” WellDoc President and CEO Kevin McRaith told MobiHealthNews. “Ultimately what we need to do is provide a more holistic solution for the various stakeholders in the space.”

WellDoc’s FDA-cleared, reimbursable BlueStar system for diabetes management analyzes patient data, compares the data to past trends, and sends analytics to the patient’s healthcare team. The app-driven program also features behavioral coaching, motivational messages, educational content, and other tools for population health analysis. 

Voluntis, meanwhile, offers a basal insulin titration app called Insulia. Insulia provides dosage recommendations, educational coaching, and diabetes-related data. The app can work with a variety of treatment plans and dosage guidelines based on the user’s clinician-prescribed personalized treatment plan, including their insulin prescription and blood glucose targets. Then, Insulia uses a dose-adjusting algorithm to help the user manage their diabetes and work towards their goals, and the data is automatically shared with the health care team (who can also monitor the patient’s progress toward their goal).

“So you see a very complementary approach here for patients, for those getting coaching who are treated with insulin, they can benefit also from this solution,” Voluntis CEO Pierre Leurent told MobiHealthNews. “We felt that there is a real interest in combining our respective solutions to bring more value to the end users and help patients achieve their goals in terms of outcomes.”

WellDoc and Voluntis are taking a phased approach to deploying a future combined product, which will involve discussions with existing partners and customers, as well as some research and development to perfect a combined offering. However, McRaith said the companies could go to market as early as Q1 of next year.

Leurent and McRaith both said that there is a lot of common ground culturally between the two companies, which made the partnership easy to hash out.

“I think that our companies have repeatedly broken new ground at different times along the way of our history,” Leurent said. “We started together before the iPhone came out, we were among the first companies to achieve regulatory [clearance], clinical trials. Now we are breaking again new ground because if you look at what we are providing, we are providing digital therapies and I think it’s one of the first combined digital therapies that we are going to jointly bring to market. I think it’s an exciting time for our space and I think the sector is ready for more innovative partnerships.”