Photo courtesy of Sky Labs
Japanese conglomerate Omron, known for its medical devices, has deepened its investment in Sky Labs, backing the Korean startup's ring-type blood pressure monitor as it gains clinical momentum and expands into consumer and global markets.
According to a media release, Omron Ventures made an undisclosed investment in Sky Labs, while Omron Healthcare signed a new memorandum of understanding to strengthen their partnership following the September commercial launch of CART BP – billed as the world's first ring-type, cuffless BP monitor for consumers.
The expanded strategic partnership, Sky Labs CEO Jack Byunghwan Lee said, recognises the company's technology for "both clinical effectiveness and business feasibility," aligned with global standards.
CART BP can continuously measure blood pressure throughout the day and during sleep, allowing users to track changes and trends by time, date, and month via a mobile application.
THE LARGER CONTEXT
Omron Healthcare and Sky Labs signed an MOU last year to jointly develop and distribute the BP ring globally, along with a separate distribution deal in Japan for earlier products. More than 400 million blood pressure monitors have been sold worldwide as of this year, noted Sky Labs, with Omron among the leading manufacturers and distributors across more than 130 countries and regions. "Sky Labs is actively pursuing overseas expansion in various countries beyond Japan," the company told Mobihealth News.
Sky Labs' BP ring has undergone extensive clinical validation across more than 30 major hospitals in Korea through its clinical version, CART BP pro, which is already covered under South Korea's National Health Insurance reimbursement scheme and used in over 1,600 medical institutions, including Yonsei Medical Center and Korea University Medical Center. The company also has a distribution deal with Tokyo-headquartered Otsuka Pharmaceutical to market this clinical version to hospitals and clinics globally.
The company has also completed three of six validation studies recommended by the 2023 European Society of Hypertension protocol for cuffless blood pressure monitors, with the remaining studies now underway.
Having demonstrated accuracy and reliability across multiple studies and complying with international hypertension protocols and standards, a consumer version of the BP ring was launched. Both the hospital and consumer versions of CART BP have been approved by the Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, with preparations underway for clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and CE marking under the European Union Medical Device Regulation.
CART BP is expected to reach more consumers through Sky Labs' recent partnership with Kakao Healthcare, which will integrate the BP ring into the PASTA mobile platform via a software development kit. Initially developed for blood glucose management, the AI-powered app will now incorporate blood pressure tracking, evolving into a comprehensive chronic disease management solution. Both companies are still evaluating opportunities for further collaborations, Sky Labs told this publication.
