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Diabetes: WSJ’s Mossberg raves about Telcare’s web-friendly glucose monitor

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Telcare's glucose meter

Telcare Inc. got high marks for its cellular-enabled glucose monitor from the Wall Street Journal’s personal technology columnist, Walt Mossberg.

While he didn’t love the outdated look of the device, which he describes as looking like a "thick, old cellphone," he called the Telcare system "a leap ahead of nearly all glucose meters."

The Telcare BGM is a 3G wireless-enabled glucose meter that can sent instantly send readings to a password-protected website, which can then be shared with doctors or family members, or to an iPhone app.

The company calls it the first cellular-enabled glucose meter, "designed to bridge the last mile between patient and caregiver in order to assist patients in better management of their diabetes."

"While other marketplace solutions have relied on Bluetooth transmission to cellphones, connections of glucose meters to personal computers and cradles, or requiring the patient to manually enter results into a phone app, Telcare’s solution requires no additional steps on the part of the patient," according to a press release.

Entra Health Systems sells a Bluetooth-enabled glucose meter, the MyGlucoHealth system, which recently won Canadian approval and has had FDA clearance and CE Mark approval in the European Union since 2009.

Sanofi’s (NYSE:SNY) iPhone glucose meter, the iBGStar, landed 510(k) clearance from the FDA last month, making it the first iPhone glucose meter to win a nod from the federal watchdog agency.

Telcare won FDA 510(k) clearance in August, and will be on the market next week, according to Mossberg.

The Telcare device uses a built-in cellular modem, but doesn’t require a subscription fee. It does sport a hefty price tag at about $150 for a starter kit, with discounts for patients who sign on for a year’s worth of test strips.

The device transmits real-time information to an online health record database and a variety of health care apps.

Mossberg lamented the device’s relatively short battery life (his lasted about 4 days when he made sure to turn it off between tests), but added that "the meter was easy to use and gave me helpful messages, such as whether I was in my prescribed range, or what my daily averages were."

He added that he discovered a few bugs, and that Telcare had vowed to fix all of them before the device hits the market next week.

Overall, he gave the system a positive vote. "If you’re a diabetic, or care for one, it’s worth a look."

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