Abbott Announces Future of Biowearables at Consumer Electronics Show

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06 Jan, 2022, 18:22 GMT

- The company announced it's developing a new category of consumer biowearables called Lingo, which is being designed to track key signals in the body – such as glucose, ketones, and lactate – to help people better understand their general health and take action

- Abbott is the first healthcare company to headline the Consumer Electronics Show, with Chairman and CEO Robert Ford presenting alongside scientists and inventors, industry partners, influencers and people who use Abbott health tech

LAS VEGAS, Jan. 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Making CES history, Abbott (NYSE: ABT) presented a keynote at the most influential tech event in the world, the first healthcare company ever to do so.

Abbott Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Robert B. Ford headlined the event, "Human-Powered Health: Unlocking the Possibility of You."

"Technology gives us the power to digitize, decentralize and democratize healthcare, create a shared language between you and your doctor – and put more control of your health in your hands," Mr. Ford said. "We're creating a future that will bring you and your loved ones care that's more personal and precise. It's happening right now. And its potential is no less than incredible."

Lingo – Speaking Your Body's Unique Language

During the keynote, the company announced it's developing a new category of consumer biowearables called Lingoⁱ. These biowearables are being designed to translate your body's unique language into actionable data to help you track and measure your general health and wellness. The sensor technology is being designed to track key signals in the body such as glucose, ketones and lactate, and could also be used one day to track alcohol levels.

"This will be like having a window into your body," Mr. Ford said. "It's science that you will be able to access any time so you can understand what your body is telling you and what it needs. Our vision is that Lingo will go far beyond today's wearables for consumers to help you proactively manage your health, nutrition and athletic performance."

Lingo extends the Abbott sensing technology platform that Abbott pioneered in 2014 for people with diabetes, allowing people to continuously monitor their glucose levels with a small sensor on the back of the upper arm. Actress and comedian Sherri Shepherd shared live on the CES stage how FreeStyle Libre 2 changed her life, giving her glucose readings, right on her smartphoneⁱⁱ, unique to her body so she can make healthier decisions.

Abbott then built this technology platform to develop a product designed for athletes with the 2020 launch of Libre Sense Glucose Sport Biowearableⁱⁱⁱ in Europe. Elite athletes, like marathon world record holder Eliud Kipchoge, use this biowearable to optimize how they fuel their bodies for rigorous training. Lingo aims to expand glucose monitoring to people looking to manage their weight, sleep better, improve energy and think clearer.

Abbott is designing Lingo to measure other biomarkers beyond glucose in the future. A ketone biowearable is being developed to track ketones continuously, see how fast you are getting into ketosis, and understand exactly what keeps you there by providing insights on dieting and weight loss. A lactate biowearable is in development to track continuous lactate build up during exercise, which can be used as an indicator of athletic performance.

A Human Focus

Beyond those who demonstrated the human impact of Abbott's sensors, Mr. Ford was joined on stage by people whose lives were impacted by Abbott devices, partners who rallied to provide seamless and safe travel experiences and other visionaries in the industry.

Tyrone Morris, a heart failure patient who was given six months to live, shared his story of how he beat the odds thanks to three separate Abbott devices: HeartMate 3^iv, CardioMEMS^v and an implantable defibrillator. Today, Morris owns a barbecue catering business and food trucks in Humble, Texas, where he specializes in low-sodium recipes.
United Airlines' Managing Director of Hospitality & Planning Aaron McMillan and Dr. Patrice Harris, co-founder and CEO of eMed, a digital health company democratizing healthcare through its Digital-Point-of-Care™ platform, described how they came together with Abbott to help people fly confidently and conveniently with BinaxNOW COVID-19 Home Tests^vi. United customers can take the proctored tests when traveling and have those results seamlessly confirmed by Abbott's NAVICA app and verified through United's Travel Ready Center.
Dr. Fiona Gupta of Mount Sinai Health System in New York highlighted how she uses the NeuroSphere Virtual Clinic, a first-of-its-kind technology in the U.S., that provides people with deep brain stimulation remotely, so physicians can optimize and adjust treatments over cellular or Wi-Fi while Parkinson's and chronic pain patients consult with them from the comfort of their living rooms.
The head of the University of Southern California's Center for Body Computing Dr. Leslie Saxon shared her vision of "Lifecare," which addresses everything from preventing sudden deaths to enhancing human performance.
Dr. Mary Rodgers, an Abbott virus hunter, shared how a first-of-its-kind network called the Abbott Pandemic Defense Coalition – stretching from Brazil to Senegal to Thailand – is working to identify new viruses and help stop them before they can spread.
Dr. Hakim Bouzamondo, head of Nutrition research and development at Abbott, shared how the science behind the microbiome can optimize overall health with personalized nutrition.

Indications and Important Safety Information
FreeStyle Libre 2 system: Failure to use FreeStyle Libre 2 system as instructed in labeling may result in missing a severe low or high glucose event and/or making a treatment decision, resulting in injury. If glucose alarms and readings do not match symptoms or expectations, use a fingerstick value from a blood glucose meter for treatment decisions. Seek medical attention when appropriate or contact Abbott at 855-632-8658 or FreeStyleLibre.us for safety info.

About Abbott
Abbott is a global healthcare leader that helps people live more fully at all stages of life. Our portfolio of life-changing technologies spans the spectrum of healthcare, with leading businesses and products in diagnostics, medical devices, nutritionals and branded generic medicines. Our 109,000 colleagues serve people in more than 160 countries.

Connect with us at www.abbott.com, on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/abbott-/, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Abbott and on Twitter @AbbottNews.

ⁱThe Lingo portfolio of products are under development and are not intended for medical use. They are not intended for use in screening, diagnosis, treatment, cure, mitigation, prevention, or monitoring of diseases. Lingo Portfolio of products are not for sale in the U.S.

ⁱⁱ The FreeStyle Libre 2 app is only compatible with certain mobile devices and operating systems. Please check our website for more information about device compatibility before using the app. Use of the FreeStyle Libre 2 app requires registration with LibreView.

ⁱⁱⁱ The Libre Sense Biosensor is not available in the United States and not intended for medical use.

^iv The HeartMate 3 Left Ventricular Assist System is indicated for providing short- and long-term mechanical circulatory support in adult and pediatric patients with advanced refractory left ventricular heart failure and with an appropriate body surface area. Prior to using this device, please review the Instructions for Use at https://www.cardiovascular.abbott/us. Views expressed are the patient's own.

^v The CardioMEMS™ HF System is indicated for wirelessly measuring and monitoring pulmonary artery (PA) pressure and heart rate in New York Heart Association (NYHA) Class III heart failure patients who have been hospitalized for heart failure in the previous year. The hemodynamic data are used by physicians for heart failure management and with the goal of reducing heart failure hospitalizations. Prior to using this device, please review the Instructions for Use at https://www.cardiovascular.abbott/us. Views expressed are the patient's own.

^vi The BinaxNOW™ COVID-19 Ag Card Home Test has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Emergency Use Authorization (EUA). This product has not been FDA cleared or approved but has been authorized by FDA under an EUA. This product has been authorized only for the detection of proteins from SARS-CoV-2, not for any other viruses or pathogens. This product is only authorized for the duration of the declaration that circumstances exist justifying the authorization of emergency use of IVDs for detection and/or diagnosis of COVID-19 under Section 564(b)(1) of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, 21 U.S.C. § 360bbb-3(b)(1), unless the declaration is terminated or authorization is revoked sooner.