Google, Sanofi team up to improve diabetes care

A person receives a test for diabetes during Care Harbor LA free medical clinic in Los Angeles, California September 11, 2014. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni

Google Inc and French drugmaker Sanofi SA said they will partner to develop tools to improve the management and treatment of diabetes.

Sanofi will work with Google's life sciences team to collect, analyze and understand information impacting diabetes, which is expected to affect 592 million by 2035, according to the International Diabetes Federation.

Sanofi's diabetes product line raked in sales of 1.9 billion euros ($2.13 billion), contributing about 20 percent to the company's total sales in the second quarter.

Sales in this strategic unit have been hurt by continued pricing pressure in the United States.

Google's life sciences unit is already collaborating with Swiss drugmaker Novartis AG  to develop contact lenses to help diabetics track blood glucose levels or restore the eye's ability to focus.

It has also tied up with DexCom Inc, a maker of continuous glucose-monitoring (CGM) devices, to develop a CGM device the size of a band-aid that can be worn on the skin.

The company is also working with Biogen Inc to study the progression of multiple sclerosis.

The life sciences division is part of Google X labs, which is testing self-driving cars.

($1 = 0.8906 euros)