Putting Health in Your Hands

The chairman and CEO of Abbott, Robert Ford, outlined the company's vision for combining health and technology to empower consumers to better manage their health. This new approach involves moving from a "sick care system" to a "health care system." To make this happen, Abbott is working on developing wearable devices and tools that utilize digital technology to provide real-time insights into health data, such as glucose levels and heart rate, helping individuals make better informed decisions about their health. One example is the recently FDA-approved cardiac monitor, "Insert IQ", which sends real-time data to doctors, and the "FreeStyle Libre" glucose monitor used by five million diabetes patients globally. Abbott is also developing a consumer wearable, "Lingo", to help healthy individuals manage their metabolism for better overall health. The product assigns "Lingo count", a single, easy-to-understand metric based on a person's glucose spikes, helping them make more informed dietary and lifestyle choices. Lingo is set to launch globally, including in US, by the end of the year.