Kakao Healthcare, the digital health care unit under platform giant Kakao, on Thursday launched an artificial intelligence-based mobile blood sugar management service, PASTA, in Korea, hinting at plans for its overseas debuts in Japan and other countries.
“Health care costs attributable to diabetes are increasing every year, and we aim to help reduce the costs through our new service," Kakao Healthcare CEO Hwang Hee said during a press conference at the company’s headquarters in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province.
The app, based on continuous glucose monitoring sensors, offers AI-based real-time blood sugar tracking, food recognition and nutrient analysis, guidance for dietary habits, and analytical reports. A combined analysis can also be shared with doctors, allowing them to provide more effective and personalized care, the company said.
The name PASTA is an acronym for personalized, accessible, supportive, tech-enabled and affordable.
Hwang said the platform will help users make more informed decisions by monitoring their blood sugar level changes in real-time and get a better understanding of their daily habits.
“The so-called ‘lifestyle diseases’ like diabetes have much to do with daily habits. But there have been few options for patients to properly monitor the toxic habits that can increase the risk of diabetes,” he said.
To achieve wider adoption of the service, Kakao said it has no immediate plans to charge fees. Instead, it will share profits from selling the CGM sensors co-developed with its partner companies, including Dexcom and i-SENS. In Korea, diabetes patients who need insulin injections can receive a reimbursement of over 70 percent when they purchase CGM devices.
Kakao said it plans to add new features in the coming months, including Novo Nordisk’s smart insulin pen in April, which will help users record their insulin dosing information. The firm added it would come up with a more upgraded app that monitors not just blood sugar but also other diabetes-related complications.
Meanwhile, Hwang hinted at plans to launch the company's Japan office this year for the introduction of PASTA, mentioning the US and the Middle East as other candidate markets.
“Japan, which has a similar insurance system to Korea, will become the first foreign country where we will launch the platform,” Hwang said.
