Misfit and Speedo Launch New Smart Swimming Tracker: Speedo Shine
[Today's Headlines]
Alibaba Health Partners with Carestream Health to Build a U.S. Navy-Grade Medical Imaging Cloud Platform;
Yaoquna Partners with Beijing’s Top 100 Chain Pharmacies to Enable Offline O2O Services;
Misfit and Speedo Jointly Release New Smart Swimming Tracker, Speedo Shine;
Bangbangtang Pioneers a New “Insurance” + “Management” Model;
U.S. FDA Approves Marketing of “Female Viagra”
1. Alibaba Health Partners with Carestream Health to Build U.S. Navy-Grade Medical Imaging Cloud Platform
On August 19, Alibaba Health and Carestream Health signed a strategic cooperation agreement. The two parties will collaborate based on Alibaba Health’s Cloud Hospital Imaging Diagnosis Platform to build an imaging diagnosis platform comparable to that of the U.S. Navy. This initiative aims to transform the current cloud storage model for medical images and enhance the service efficiency of remote imaging diagnosis and patient referrals.
Alibaba Health aims to improve the quality and efficiency of medical services by building a cloud-based medical service network that integrates an ecosystem service platform connecting doctors, patients, pharmacies, and third-party healthcare service providers. Carestream Health will provide software solutions for the Alibaba Cloud Hospital Platform, including PACS data center components, imaging specialist client applications, and image viewing tools.
Carestream Health is currently the world’s largest medical imaging and information technology company. It is the only company globally whose Android and iOS mobile medical imaging diagnostic products have received both U.S. FDA and China CFDA certifications. Additionally, Carestream provides PACS (Picture Archiving and Communication System) solutions for image archiving and communications to U.S. Navy medical facilities.
2. Yaoquna Partners with Beijing’s Top 100 Chain Pharmacies to Enable Offline O2O Services
Yaoquna has partnered with major pharmacy chains in Beijing—including Chuntian Pharmacy Chain, Changping Medicinal Materials & Pharmaceutical Chain, Debikang Pharmaceutical Chain, Deweizhi Pharmaceutical Chain, Guanghuikang Pharmaceutical Chain, Enjitang Pharmacy, and Jingzhitang Pharmaceutical Chain—signing cooperation agreements with over 150 affiliated stores to build a pharmaceutical O2O platform.
In addition, Zhang Meng, CEO of Yaoquna, stated that Yaoquna’s service system has established partnerships with platforms such as 111.com, JD.com, Baidu, and Alibaba to complete a closed-loop ecosystem in the healthcare industry. Yaoquna provides users with 24-hour medication delivery services. Therefore, regardless of whether you are in Guomao or Changping, and whether it is 8 a.m. or 2 a.m., you can place an order through the app whenever you need medication and receive quality-assured drugs within one hour.
3. Misfit and Speedo Jointly Launch New Smart Swimming Monitor, Speedo Shinee
Wearable device manufacturer Misfit previously launched the Misfit Shine and Misfit Flash series of fitness trackers. This time, it has partnered with swimwear manufacturer Speedo to introduce a new smart bracelet focused on monitoring swimming activities—the Speedo Shine.
The Speedo Shine automatically tracks swimmers’ laps, distance, calories burned, and activity points. It also monitors users’ walking, running, and sleep patterns. The device syncs with the Misfit app and supports both Android and iOS platforms. Additionally, it is compatible with Speedo’s swim-tracking application, Speedo Fit. Priced at $79.99 (approximately RMB 549), the Speedo Shine will be available globally starting September 1st through Apple Stores, the Misfit official website, and the Speedo official website.
4. Bangbangtang Pioneers the New “Insurance” + “Management” Model
On August 18, Bangbangtang, a diabetes management app, announced that it would collaborate with community hospitals in Beijing to provide free diabetic retinopathy screening services to residents. This initiative aims to accurately assess the risk of diabetic complications. In conjunction with the “Diabetes Passport” feature within the Bangbangtang app, personalized health management plans based on risk assessment will be provided to patients online. These plans include periodic execution strategies tailored to each user’s specific data indicators and risk levels, leveraging unique “exercise prescriptions” to effectively control the progression of diabetes and reduce the incidence of severe complications.
As a result, Bangbangtang has identified a novel entry point for diabetes management by initiating its services with offline complication risk diagnosis. Furthermore, in September, Bangbangtang will collaborate with the online insurance platform Datebao to launch a series of innovative internet-based insurance products tailored for patients with diabetes.
5. U.S. FDA Approves “Female Viagra” for Market Launch
On August 18, 2015, local time, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the market launch of the drug known as “Female Viagra.”
Flibanserin, manufactured by Sprout Pharmaceuticals in the United States, is a medication specifically designed for premenopausal women who experience distress due to hypoactive sexual desire disorder. Often referred to as “female Viagra,” it previously received approval from the U.S. FDA Advisory Committee.
Flibanserin acts directly on the brain regions in women that regulate sexual pleasure, thereby restoring declining female libido. Meanwhile, flibanserin reduces serotonin levels in the brain while increasing dopamine and norepinephrine activity. However, critics argue that the drug has certain side effects.
By John Wang