Fitbit (NYSE:FIT) and FibriCheck said yesterday that they inked a deal to enable European users to monitor their heart rhythm for irregularities directly from a Fitbit smartwatch.
Users in Belgium, Holland, Ireland and the U.K. are affected by the partnership, which combines the CE-marked FibriCheck software with the Fitbit smartwatch technology to check for irregularities such as atrial fibrillation.
FibriCheck is designed to use Fitbit’s operating system and photoplethysmography sensors to capture heart rhythm measurements from a user’s wrist. The company said the data reading can be completed in 60 seconds, observed on the Fitbit screen and shared with medical professionals through FibriCheck’s web interface.
The FibriCheck app, which has been available for smartphone users since 2016, showed high accuracy in detecting the presence of Afib on Fitbit watches compared to state-of-the-art wearable ECG technologies during a clinical trial, according to a news release.
FibriCheck plans to make its platform available on four different versions of Fitbit devices at $4.38 (€3.99) per month.
“For more than a decade, Fitbit has helped millions of consumers around the world get healthier by providing them with a holistic picture of their health and wellness,” Fitbit director of health solutions & services, EMEA Nicola Maxwell said in prepared remarks. “Our partnership with FibriCheck expands on this vision by offering an accessible way for people to detect irregular heart rhythms using their Fitbit smartwatch, helping them to potentially identify and monitor heart conditions like atrial fibrillation. FibriCheck is the first CE-marked app to be available on Fitbit smartwatches in the EU and its addition to the platform complements our expanding range of technology-based solutions that can help drive positive health outcomes.”
“FibriCheck is an easy-to-use, first step for people who have concerns about their heart health or who have been advised to monitor their heart rhythm consistently by a medical professional,” added FibriCheck CEO Lars Grieten. “By partnering with Fitbit, we are bringing our technology to millions of consumers’ wrists regardless of mobile device platform, and it provides an accessible option for consumers to better understand their heart health and then easily share those insights with a medical professional who can support their care.”
Shares of FIT are up +0.5% at $3.96 per share in early-morning trading.
($1=€0.91)