Zio XT

iRhythm Technologies has announced a collaboration with Verily; a press release reports that this collaboration aims to bring together iRhythm’s expertise in artificial intelligence (AI) based arrhythmia diagnosis and Verily’s advanced health data analytics technologies to address the millions of patients living with undiagnosed atrial fibrillation.

Under the terms of the agreement, iRhythm and Verily plan to collaborate on solutions capable of providing earlier warnings, enabling the identification and management of patients that could otherwise go undiagnosed until they have a cardiac event, such as a stroke. Furthermore, iRhythm will make an upfront payment to Verily of $5 million and potential milestone payments of up to $12.75 million upon the achievement of various development and regulatory milestones.

Jessica Mega, chief medical and scientific officer of Verily, comments: “We are excited to partner with iRhythm, a pioneer in ambulatory cardiac monitoring, to find innovative ways to deliver more efficient care to patients with atrial fibrillation. With the high prevalence of cardiovascular-related health issues, we have an opportunity to not only improve how we diagnose, manage and monitor conditions like atrial fibrillation, but also develop patient-centric solutions that could ultimately prevent serious cardiac events.”

Kevin King, president and CEO of iRhythm, states: “iRhythm and Verily have a shared mission to create a better standard of care for cardiac patients—making heart health data more actionable so patients can live longer, healthier lives. We are pleased to partner with one of the world’s most reputable healthcare technology companies to better serve the millions of people living with atrial fibrillation today. Verily’s patient-centric approach to disease management and advanced hardware capabilities will prove critical in providing patients and providers with the tools needed to increase the efficiency of heart healthcare.”

At the 2019 ACC Scientific Session (16–18 March, New Orleans, USA), results from the first phase of the mSToPS study was presented (and also published in JAMA). These showed that atrial fibrillation patients monitored Zio service (iRhythm Technologies) had a significantly lower rate of hospitalisations and emergency room visits than patients who were not monitored with device.