Verily, a health tech spinout owned by Google, is undergoing yet another transformation. The company has announced plans to phase out its chronic disease management app Onduo over the next year and a half as part of its transition to a new product known as Lightpath. This move marks the second pivot in as many years for the company.
The new product, Lightpath Metabolic, will offer personalized care programs for individuals with type 1 and type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and GLP-1 drug prescriptions. It will leverage artificial intelligence and data from devices like continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) devices to provide users with tailored care plans. Myoung Cha, Verily’s chief product officer, shared these details about the upcoming launch.
Despite this shift towards a more conventional approach, offering AI assistants and telehealth prescriptions, Verily’s original lofty ambitions still resonate with many in the health tech industry. The company initially aimed to “defeat Mother Nature,” pursuing innovative projects like cancer-detecting wristbands and a contact-lens continuous glucose monitor. However, after nine years of searching for direction amid turnover among employees and executives, Verily seems to be navigating a different path.
As Verily embarks on this new journey with Lightpath Metabolic, it will be interesting to see how the company’s evolution unfolds and what impact this shift will have on the health tech industry.
