Fitbit invests in blood sugar tracker Sano

Fitbit has made its first investment in a start-up, of more than USD 6 million in the company Sano, developing a patch that tracks blood sugar levels to help control diabetes. Fitbit CEO James Park confirmed the Sano deal to CNBC and said it's part of the company's efforts to expand beyond devices into health solutions. 

The investment is part of a larger financing round that Sano expects to close in the coming months. Sano CEO Ashwin Pushpala said the company's device won't be ready to hit the market for about a year and is expected to target people with Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes, said Pushpala. It might also be used by those who are pre-diabetic, or simply curious about how food and exercise affect their blood sugar.

Fitbit already has partnerships with wearable device makers Medtronic and Dexcom that involve integrating blood sugar data with its consumer hardware. Park declined to say whether a future version of Fitbit's wearable devices will include built-in glucose tracking. 

Apple is known to have a research team working on a noninvasive glucose reader, CNBC reported last year. The New York Times in December reported that the project was authorized by late Apple CEO Steve Jobs who suffered from diabetes, and current CEO Tim Cook has been seen testing a personal glucose monitor.

Separately, Bloomberg reports that Fitbit is considering developing a wearable device for children. People familiar with the matter said the product was focused around health, a sector Fitbit has been increasingly focused on. The line of gadgets for children has been in discussion internally for at least several months, the report said.