Dubai, UAE: Roche Diagnostics Middle East presented a landmark launch event revealing Accu-Chek SmartGuide, a breakthrough Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) innovation that sets a new standard of care for diabetes management in the Middle East.
Held at The Obelisk in Dubai, the event gathered distinguished leaders, global experts, and health authorities including HE Dr. Hussain Abdul Rahman Al Rand, the Assistant Undersecretary for the Public Health Sector, who delivered a keynote speech as part of the launch event, H.E. Mr. Arthur Mattli, Ambassador of Switzerland to the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, Guido Sander, General Manager of Roche Diagnostics Middle East, and Dr. Abdullah Mohammed Arabe, Director of Diabetes Centers, Diabetic Foot Centres, and the Osteoporosis Department at the Ministry of Health, Saudi Arabia.
In his keynote speech, HE Dr. Hussain Abdul Rahman Al Rand, the Assistant Undersecretary for the Public Health Sector said: “The UAE places health at the top of development priorities. As part of the UAE Health Vision 2030, we promote a culture of healthy living – aiming to raise awareness about diseases and their negative impact on individuals and our communities.
“Innovation in healthcare is not just about technology. It is about improving lives, preventing disease, and building a healthier and more resilient nation for future generations through partnership and evidence-based practice.”
Following H.E. Dr. Hussein Al Rand’s address, the launch event provided an in-depth exploration of how AI-enabled CGM technology is transforming personalised healthcare in the region, empowering patients to take greater control of their health. Panel discussions focussed on bridging the gap between AI as an emerging trend and its application in prediction of modern healthcare, highlighting its growing impact on disease management. The comprehensive programme featured keynote addresses, national initiatives, innovation showcases, and global insights into the future of diabetes.
With over 1.3 million adults in the United Arab Emirates living with diabetes, the roll out of the Accu-Check CGM solution has the potential to transform diabetes care in the region. Diabetes is one of today’s most urgent healthcare challenges especially in the Middle East. If left unmanaged, diabetes can lead to secondary complications including cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, nerve damage, blindness, lower limb amputation and mental health issues.
“Diabetes is not just about numbers, it affects every aspect of a patient’s life, from daily activities to emotional wellbeing,” said Guido Sander, General Manager of Roche Diagnostics Middle East. “Through our partnerships with the healthcare sector, and with the predictive capabilities of the Accu-Chek SmartGuide CGM, we are empowering patients to take control of their health, providing healthcare professionals with richer insights for proactive care, and helping shift diabetes management from reactive intervention to predictive, patient-centred solutions. By investing in innovation, Roche truly lives our vision of doing now what patients need next.”
Already available in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar, this innovative solution is designed to help people living with diabetes anticipate glucose changes, reduce uncertainty, and manage their lives with greater confidence. Roche continues to make every effort to bring this life-changing innovation to patients across the wider Middle East.
“True innovation is not measured by its sophistication, but by its ability to give people back certainty, dignity, and the freedom to live well. In diabetes care – as in Swiss craftsmanship – precision, discipline, and long-term vision turn stability into progress and hope into solutions delivered in time.” said H.E. Mr. Arthur Mattli, Ambassador of Switzerland to the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.
Since it was introduced, CGM technology has significantly improved diabetes care, yet a significant number of people still have difficulty keeping their glucose in the right range when using current systems. Hypoglycemia is common amongst persons who have type 1 diabetes, with an annual incidence of severe hypoglycemia ranging from 3.3% to 13.5%.
The Accu-Chek SmartGuide CGM harnesses artificial intelligence to forecast glucose levels over the next 30 minutes, 2 hours, and overnight, enabling patients to proactively manage their diabetes. By providing accurate, predictive insights, the solution encourages better self-care, reduces emotional burden, improves adherence to therapy, and lowers the risk of secondary complications such as cardiovascular disease, kidney damage, nerve damage, blindness, and mental health issues.
This innovation also supports healthcare professionals and systems by delivering consolidated patient data, allowing consultations to be more collaborative and solution-focused. With this improved access to predictive information, treatment plans can be personalised, adherence enhanced, and outcomes optimised, ultimately reducing costs for individuals and society.
The Accu-Chek SmartGuide CGM solution includes a wireless, water-resistant sensor, worn on the back of the upper arm, and the apps where the users can see their current glucose levels and their future glucose development through predictive analytics. Every five minutes, the sensor sends glucose values measured in real-time to the app. The app then uses those glucose values and other optional information entered by the user such as food intake and insulin doses to detect patterns and predict future glucose levels. Supported by AI-trained algorithms, it provides key predictions of likely hypoglycaemia within 30 minutes and suggests what can be done to keep glucose levels in range, as well as general estimated predictions of glucose levels within two hours and during a defined 7-hours nighttime period.
Clinical studies have demonstrated the new Roche CGM solution’s high system accuracy, with an overall mean absolute relative difference (MARD) of 9.2% and 99.8% of measured glucose values falling within zones A and B on the Parkes Error Grid. The evaluation of the predictive capabilities showed that all advanced predictive features exceeded high performance requirements as e.g. accuracy, sensitivity and specificity.
Roche’s Middle East launch underlines its commitment to transforming diabetes care, shifting the focus from reactive treatment to proactive health management. The company’s vision is to ensure patients can live longer, healthier, and more confident lives, while supporting healthcare systems in tackling the growing global diabetes challenge.
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