AstraZeneca Updates Digital Lifestyle Program to Include CV Health

The role of digital health technology in managing chronic disease continues to expand, with companies vying for everything from tracking people’s steps to offering the evidence-based National Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP).

The pharmaceutical maker AstraZeneca, whose treatments include dapagliflozin (Farxiga) for diabetes and rosuvastatin (Crestor) to lower cholesterol, joined the fray in 2014 with Fit2Me, a free diet and lifestyle program aimed at those with type 2 diabetes (T2D). Today, the drugmaker announced that Fit2Me, which already has 1.4 million users, will now feature support for patients with cardiovascular risk and disease.

With the update, the program now addresses the country’s 5 most prevalent health conditions: T2D, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and triglycerides, and heart attack, according to a statement from AstraZeneca. The online program, which covers food choices, exercise options, therapy selection, and support services, “personalizes each user’s plan to accommodate their food and activity preferences,” the statement said.

While the online program makes clear that consumers can use the material without obligation, part of the therapy section advises patients on how to access “information on type 2 diabetes treatment options from AstraZeneca you can discuss with your doctor.”

The upgrade includes a new feature, Fit My Fridge, which helps users prepare healthy meals with ingredients they already have at home, offering help for busy professionals who cannot plan for every meal. More than 10,000 recipes based on guidelines from the American Diabetes Association and American Heart Association are available. The online program is available in mobile formats, the statement said.

Adding a cardiovascular element will “differentiate” Fit2Me from other online programs, according to the statement, making it “one of the only health management tools that allows people to create a customized diet and exercise plan based on food and exercise preferences, as well as health challenge areas.”

“People living with cardiovascular disease frequently deal with a wide range of risk factors that impact everyday health but, importantly, many of these risk factors are modifiable,” said William E. Boden, MD, Scientific Director, Clinical Trials Network, VA Boston Healthcare System. Having a free program like Fit2Me helps people with diabetes or other chronic conditions create sustainable lifestyle changes, he said.