A band for all seasons

By Joshua Slatko | [email protected]

FCB Health New York’s EQL BAND is the world’s first smartwatch band that uses sound smart technology to accurately hear all heartbeats equally regardless of skin tone. MedAdNews spoke with Kathleen Nanda, FCB Health New York’s chief creative officer, about the device’s development and what brands and agencies can do to support health equity.

MedAdNews: Tell us about the creation of the EQL BAND. What was the source of the idea behind the device, and how did its actual development and deployment come to pass? Who was involved, and how did their backgrounds and skills bring them to something like this?

Kathleen Nanda: For the last several years, FCB Health New York has been entrenched in the clinical equity space. Our work on the Trial for Clinical Equality campaign focuses on equal representation for people of color in clinical trials. It led us to discover a staggering bias in health tech.

Multiple studies, including one from the American College of Cardiology, have shown that green light technology in smartwatches fails to deliver accurate health data for people with darker skin tones. This racial bias affects the billions of people of color worldwide who rely on smartwatches for health monitoring. We also know that 70 percent of all clinical trials are expected to rely on smartwatch data by 2025. That’s 125,010 active clinical trials at risk of flawed data. When integrated into databases, this flawed data threatens future life-saving medicines and leaves people of color behind.

To overcome this bias, we sought to develop a solution unaffected by skin tone. We asked ourselves, ‘What if we could silence the bias in smartwatches by harnessing the power of sound?’ Unlike green light technology, sound isn’t influenced by skin color. This idea led to the creation of EQL BAND.

With a clear mission, FCB Health New York collaborated with Touch, bringing together creatives, medical experts, strategists, and DEI advocates to identify crucial gaps in wearable technology. This partnership was pivotal in shaping the development of EQL BAND. Our commitment to inclusion drove our focus on ensuring user accessibility. EQL BAND was designed to be both accessible and affordable for everyone.

MedAdNews: Developing patient-touching technologies like this one isn’t the usual M.O. of pharma marketing agencies. What was it about this specific idea that inspired FCB Health New York and IPG Health leadership to go against that grain?

Nanda: At FCB Health New York, innovation isn’t just part of our work. It’s part of our ethos, ingrained in everything we do. So, when we uncovered the critical issue of racial bias in health tech, we knew we had to take action. This wasn’t just an opportunity to create another awareness campaign. It was a chance to address a profound inequity and spark real change in the world. Our collective passion for equity and innovation drove us to push past the boundaries of pharma marketing and develop EQL BAND.

EQL BAND is not just an innovation, it’s a catalyst for a global movement. It rallies health tech and pharmaceutical companies to prioritize inclusive innovation. Together, we can forge a future where health data is equitable, ensuring that 6.8 billion people of color are not left behind.

MedAdNews: What interesting things has the development team learned from the process of developing and deploying EQL BAND? What surprises did they encounter along the way? What might they have done differently, if they were to do it again knowing all they know now?

Nanda: Test, test, and test some more. We learned that achieving a breakthrough innovation requires embracing trial and error along the way, with each misstep bringing us closer to our refined prototype.

One of the key surprises we encountered was the critical importance of real-world testing. Extensive prototype testing across diverse environments, including varying levels of ambient noise interference, was needed. This real-world feedback was invaluable, revealing nuances in design and functionality that lab testing alone couldn’t uncover. Our commitment to rigorous testing and adaptation ensured that EQL BAND functions in a wide range of settings.

MedAdNews: What actual impact has the device had that you can measure?

Nanda: EQL BAND is the world’s first smartwatch band that hears all heartbeats equally, regardless of skin tone, and is designed to be accessible to over 1.2 billion smartwatch users worldwide.

Our goal is to integrate EQL BAND into clinical trials by 2025. This innovation could be a lifesaver, offering timely diagnoses and facilitating the development of critical treatments, potentially saving millions of lives. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we saw the fatal limitations of pulse oximeters, which rely on green light technology. This led to an FDA recall. That same green light technology is still powering most smartwatches, so it’s time for a change.

EQL BAND is a global movement, and we are eager to engage with health tech companies, advocacy groups, and pharmaceutical companies to secure investors and partnerships for manufacturing. Through EQL BAND, we are committed to fostering dialogue among health tech companies, pharmaceutical companies, advocacy groups, and health organizations to ensure equitable smartwatch health data in clinical trials.

MedAdNews: It does seem like major pharma players have been making greater efforts lately to connect with underserved patient communities and to “equalize” things like health data, as the EQL BAND attempts to do. What are some steps that you feel both pharma companies and agencies can take to continue this process in the coming years?

Nanda: At FCB Health New York, we’re committed to being part of the growing movement towards health equity, and EQL BAND is a prime example of that commitment. We believe pharma companies and agencies can do their part in advancing health equity by continuing to:

• Call out data biases: Acknowledge and tackle racial biases in data collection. Actively recruit diverse populations for clinical trials and ensure the technology used to capture data works for everyone.
• Be community-centered: Ensure marketing materials and messages are inclusive and resonate with the lived experiences of diverse communities. Partner with patient advocacy groups and healthcare professionals who understand these nuances.
• Innovate with inclusion: Integrate diverse perspectives in the development of health tech solutions to meet the unique needs of all populations.
• Invest in diverse research: Continue research and development focused on health disparities, sending a strong message that the pharmaceutical industry prioritizes the health of all people.

By taking these steps, we can move beyond simply acknowledging health equity to becoming active participants in creating a more just healthcare system. EQL BAND is a great first step, but we’re just getting started.

MedAdNews: What’s next for EQL BAND and the team that developed it? What do you foresee for it and other devices in five or 10 years’ time?

Kathleen Nanda: We’re excited about EQL BAND’s future and its potential to revolutionize healthcare technology. Our current focus is on securing partnerships to move EQL BAND from prototype to production. We’re seeking sponsors who share our vision for inclusive health data and recognize the need to address the green light bias in smartwatch technology.

In the next five to 10 years, we see EQL BAND technology becoming the industry standard, ensuring equal health data for all, regardless of skin tone. We see more empowered individuals managing their health better and transforming clinical research by providing more precise data from diverse populations, leading to more effective future treatments and therapies.

Beyond EQL BAND, we envision a future where inclusivity is integral to all health tech design. Devices will be tailored to accommodate a broad spectrum of skin tones and body types, and algorithms will be trained on diverse data sets. This approach will pave the way for personalized medicine, ensuring that preventative care and early diagnosis is accessible to all.

MedAdNews: EQL BAND sounds like a fascinating solution, but what about existing smartwatch users? Will they need to replace their entire devices to benefit from this technology?

Nanda: EQL BAND was created with affordability and accessibility in mind. We redesigned the band you wear every day and housed our listening technology directly inside the band itself, to create a seamless user experience that pairs with any smartwatch. Existing smartwatch users simply swap out their current band for the universal add-on EQL BAND — no need to purchase a new smartwatch. Our innovation ensures accessibility, to ensure equal health data for everyone, regardless of skin tone