I read an article about some rumors that Apple is trying to come up with a watch that continuously measures the blood glucose level. In the early 2000s, the FDA approved a device called the GlucoWatch. It used a low electrical current to draw glucose right out of the body, where it was measured by sensors on the back of a tight-fitting watch. The problem was that the device was a pain to use: it caused a bad rash underneath the watch for 80 percent of the people who used it, according to an evaluation by ECRI Institute, a nonprofit research organization. It also took three hours to warm up before it could take a measurement; people with hairy arms needed to shave a clear patch for the sensor; and it didn’t work if the user got too sweaty.
A noninvasive glucose monitor would probably fall into the category of a Class III medical device which would require the company to get a pre-market approval, which can take years can take years.
1. https://www.theverge.com/2017/5/25/15685148/apple-watch-glucose-tracker-blood-sugar-monitoring-diabetes
On January 23 2015 the FDA approved marketing of the first set of mobile medical apps that allow people with diabetes to automatically and securely share data from a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) with other people in real-time using an Apple mobile device such as an iPhone. The Dexcom Share Direct Secondary Displays system’s data-sharing capability allows caregivers to a person with diabetes to monitor that individual’s blood sugar levels remotely through a legally marketed device that is available on mobile devices. Devices like the Dexcom Share were previously available through open source efforts, but were not in compliance with regulatory requirements. The Dexcom Share system is the first of its kind to offer a legally marketed solution for real-time remote monitoring of a patient’s CGM data. A CGM is a device that includes a small, wire-like sensor inserted just under the skin that provides a steady stream of information about glucose levels in the fluid around the cells (interstitial fluid). CGMs are worn externally and continuously display an estimate of blood glucose levels, and the direction and rate of change of these estimates. When used along with a blood glucose meter, CGM information can help people with diabetes detect when blood glucose values are approaching dangerously high and dangerously low levels.
2. https://www.fda.gov/newsevents/newsroom/pressannouncements/ucm431385.htm