Medtronic among firms to join forces with IT provider IBM

Medtronic is among the medical companies to have joined forces with IT firm IBM to help the technology business to expand its operations in the global health and wellbeing industry.

Johnson & Johnson and Apple have also partnered with the IT company to assist with the task of promoting its reputation as a healthcare sector technology provider.

In relation to Medtronic, IBM stated it believes their working relationship will allow the medical device manufacturer to create "a new highly-personalised care management solution for people with diabetes".

These new partnerships are part of IBM's efforts to establish its Watson Health Cloud, which is designed to provide healthcare firms with in-depth insights into their patients' health through the widespread collation of data, available via a cloud-based system.

John E Kelly III, senior vice-president of solutions portfolio and research at IBM, explained: "We need better ways to tap into and analyse all of this information in real-time to benefit patients and to improve wellness globally."