Kakao Healthcare said it has signed a global collaboration agreement with Dexcom to provide CGM (continuous glucose monitoring) based blood glucose management services in Korea first, and then in other countries.

In April, the two signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) in Boston, U.S., to pursue a global joint business.

Under the latest deal, the two companies will jointly promote the personalized digital blood glucose management service business by combining blood glucose and lifestyle data in various countries including the U.S., the Middle East, and Japan, after Korea.

Dexcom's G7 is a next-generation CGM device with a short enzyme activation period for blood glucose measurement and high measurement accuracy and it is currently applying for a medical device item license from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety.

The two companies will combine Kakao Healthcare's software and AI technology capabilities with Dexcom's CGM hardware capabilities.

The two will also supply Kakao Healthcare's dashboard system for physicians to support efficient diabetes patient management to spread the use of CGM.

Kakao Healthcare plans to launch the digital blood glucose management service in Korea in the fourth quarter this year. The service will be connected to Dexcom's next-generation CGM devices, G7 and G6.

G6 is currently marketed by Huons in Korea.

From 2024, Kakao Healthcare will launch a global blood glucose management service business with Dexcom.

"Through this agreement with Dexcom, we will not only launch an innovative blood glucose management service using CGM in Korea but also expand into the global market," Kakao Healthcare CEO Hwang Hee said. "As a member of Kakao, we will strive to improve public health and create social value in Korea, and achieve global expansion of K-digital healthcare."

Meanwhile, Kakao Healthcare has been envisioning enabling its glucose monitoring service with big data will enable personalized medicine.

During a speech made during Medical Korea 2023 in March, Hwang explained that the company plans to develop two projects -- Project Gamma and Project Delta -- this year, which are projects aimed at glucose monitoring and big data management.

"Kakao Healthcare's goal is to enable continuous glucose monitoring (CGM)," the CEO said. "New CGM tools will soon be launched on the domestic market and Kakao wants to help patients decipher the data and figure out what they need to change in their daily routines using our IoT sensors and AI vision."

Taking it a step further, Kakao plans to combine this with generative AI to nudge patients to change routines, with real-time feedback on their habits, he added.

In line with such goals, the company has partnered with other companies, such as CGM developer i-SENS and Sky Labs, a company specializing in wearable monitoring medical devices.