Omron Healthcare, maker of health monitoring and therapy devices in Japan, has entered into a strategic partnership with Singapore-based telehealth startup Doctor Anywhere.

WHAT IT'S ABOUT

Under the partnership, Omron will enable the sharing of health records tracked on its connected devices with the DA platform. The integration involves the following Omron health monitoring devices: OMRON Smart Elite BP Monitor HEM-7600T, OMRON Afib Blood Pressure Monitor HEM-7361T and OMRON Connected Wrist Blood Pressure Monitor HEM-6232T. 

This initiative is now available for DA users in Singapore and will later come to other users across Southeast Asia.

WHY IT MATTERS

Omron and DA's partnership aims to eliminate preventable heart attacks and strokes by using remote and telehealth domains. Their collaboration will allow patients who are using health monitoring devices to share health records, such as blood pressure and heart rate readings, to doctors via telehealth. Medical professionals will then have timely access to those health records in order to provide them with the right treatment options to manage their health conditions. 

Hypertension as a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases poses a "significant burden" in Asia with poor awareness and undertreatment, according to Omron. Particularly in Southeast Asia, the condition causes about 1.5 million deaths each year. Measuring blood pressure is essential given hypertension's asymptomatic nature and great disease burden. 

THE LARGER TREND

Omron and Kyoto University are conducting joint research to use AI and home-recorded health data in predicting early signs of heart diseases. The study focuses on developing a new blood pressure management method and AI-driven blood pressure analysis for the early detection of cardiovascular events.

Meanwhile, Doctor Anywhere recently acquired Doctor Raksa, Thailand's biggest telemedicine platform, bringing the number of its user base in Southeast Asia to over two million. Earlier, it partnered with conglomerate Equicom Group to launch a telemedicine platform in the Philippines.