Steve Muth, like many in the healthcare field, launched Zem Life for personal reasons. Zem Life has established a smartwatch that is currently seeking FDA approval to provide Narcan in case of fentanyl overdose, as well as other drugs for other needs. The company is named after Muth’s only child, Zachary Ernest Muth, who died tragically in 2021 due to an opioid overdose.
Moose is not alone in this pain. The CDC estimates that in 2023, more than 107,000 overdose deaths occurred.
“My whole world has changed, I have only one purpose now. [which] “It's about finding a way to stop other parents' pain,” Moos said in an interview.
He initially thought of a device that could notify the authorities if someone overdoses. But he later met anesthesiologist Dr. Joanna Sawyer, who had another idea: add medicine to the device.
“Steve told me how he dreamed of doing something he could wear Zach, telling him there was a problem so he could disappear and save him,” Sawyer said. “I immediately thought of available smartwatches that showed pulse oximeters. They have accelerometer data input that shows whether a person fell, whether a breathing rate has changed, and a drop in saturation or pulse rate. All of these data points can be predicted to predict excessive deaths and imminent deaths of opioids.”
So Zem Life was born. The idea is that if an overdose is detected, the smartwatch will trigger an alarm (in the case of a positive false alarm, the user may disable it). If they cannot deactivate the device, an alert will be sent to the authorities, which can find the user through the GPS location. The device will then inject Narcan, which is placed in a small cartridge in the watch.
Smartwatches can also be connected to smartphones and have other everyday use cases such as display time and text capabilities. In addition, Zem Life aims to provide watches for other medical needs such as heart attacks, asthma, seizures, etc.
“We realized that it's not just fentanyl to be bigger,” Mutter said. “We realized that there are actually hundreds of different medical emergencies that can mitigate or alleviate death, and only a small amount of medication provided at the right moment can mitigate or alleviate death.” “All of these issues we found can be determined by today's technology.”
According to Sawyer, the company is currently seeking FDA approval, and there are many ways to do so.
“One of them is submitting applications for cartridges separately,” Sawyer said. “The other is submitting delivery devices separately. We chose to obtain approval for the device first, becoming a catalyst. The approval of the cartridge as a drug-containing device will be sought. Finally, we will see if it can be simplified for all drugs containing FDA-applied drugs because they have incorporated them into the device.”
Ultimately, the company hopes to establish partnerships with companies like Apple and Fitbit to sell watches and through channels such as hospitals, rehabilitation centers, online stores and other areas.
Mott said Zem's life has received self-funded funds so far, although it is currently applying for a grant through the National Institutes of Health.
Other companies are also using wearable devices to combat overdose. An example is Ayuda Medical, currently seeking FDA approval. It provides an armband that detects overdose and seeks help, although it does not inject medication.
Ultimately, when offering this smartwatch, Moose wants to “see the face of a family that knows her child, grandmother or grandfather,” he said. “At the right moment, a small dose of the right medication can prevent many deaths.”
Photo: Kieferpix, Getty Images
