Print（PDF/222KB） Oct. 27, 2020 R&D

Joint Research and Development Agreement with Drawbridge Health, Inc. on Innovative Blood Sampling Solution for Lifestyle Diseases

Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma Co., Ltd. (Head Office: Osaka, Japan; Representative Director, President, and CEO: Hiroshi Nomura; hereinafter, "Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma") announced today that it has entered into a joint research and development agreement (hereinafter, "the joint R&D") with Drawbridge Health, Inc. (Headquarters: Menlo Park, California, US; CEO and Board Director: Lee McCracken; hereinafter, "Drawbridge") for the research and development in Japan of a convenient blood collection and stabilization device to support home management and remote medical care for diabetes, diabetes complications and other lifestyle diseases.

Drawbridge is a healthcare technology company that has developed an innovative blood-sampling solution. The company's product, the OneDraw™ Blood Collection Device (hereinafter, "the product"), integrates comfortable and convenient collection, stabilization and transportation of blood samples into a single device. In the US, Drawbridge has obtained FDA 510(k) clearance for the product and it is commercially available for use by healthcare providers for the measurement of HbA1c levels in adults with diabetes.

In the joint R&D, the product will be used in non-clinical trials to examine the measurement of HbA1c and other blood parameters. Clinical trials will also be conducted on the use of the device by patients. Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma and Drawbridge are now planning the completion of non-clinical trials, clinical trials, and submission of the product for approval in Japan as a medical device .

When approved for commercial sale in Japan, the product could be used for home self-management by patients suffering from diabetes and other lifestyle diseases as well as in telemedicine, a focus of attention amid the corona virus pandemic. By providing the product to enable patients to carry out their own blood sampling at home, Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma aims to support doctors in assessing the conditions of patients and making diagnoses, as well as contribute to the creation of systems for monitoring patients at home.

In addition, Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma has recently completed an additional investment of several million dollars in Drawbridge (exact amount of investment not disclosed). Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma announced its first investment in Drawbridge on July 25, 2019.

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About Drawbridge Health Inc.
Founded in 2015 by GE Ventures and GE Healthcare, Drawbridge is a healthcare technology company focused on reinventing the blood draw experience, enabling comfortable convenient blood sample collection anytime and anywhere. By integrating engineering, chemistries, and modular design, Drawbridge Health has developed a people-friendly system for collecting and stabilizing blood samples, opening new doors to enable access to important health information. For more information, please visit www.drawbridgehealth.com

About OneDraw™
By integrating Dried Blood Spot (DBS) testing technology developed by GE Healthcare, which stabilizes blood after collection and allows samples to be kept at room temperature, and proprietary capillary blood sampling technology developed by Drawbridge , the OneDraw™ Blood Collection Device combines comfortable collection, stabilization and simple transportation of blood samples into a single innovative device.
In August, 2019, Drawbridge received 510(k) clearance from the US FDA and the product is now commercially available for use by healthcare professionals for the measurement of HbA1c levels in adults with diabetes.