Fitbit Teams Up With Drug Giants to Tackle a Serious Heart Condition

Good afternoon, readers.

Fitbit is stepping up its partnerships with drug companies to tackle a critical heart health condition: Atrial fibrillation (AFib), or an irregular heartbeat.

This condition, a heart arrhythmia, could cause all sorts of medical problems, including blood clots, stroke, and heart failure. “At least 2.7 million Americans are living with AFib,” according to the American Heart Association.

Fitbit’s new effort links it with the Bristol-Myers Squib-Pfizer Alliance, which is itself a partnership between two of the largest drug makers in the country. The program seeks to facilitate earlier detection of AFib for patients at an increased risk of stroke using Fitbit’s wearable technology, which can measure a variety of biometrics, the firms announced at the TIME 100 Health Summit in New York.

“Too many people discover that they are suffering from atrial fibrillation only after experiencing a stroke. In fact, some studies suggest that this is true for more than 25 percent of people who have the condition,” said Joseph Eid, head of medical affairs at BMS, in a statement about the new initiative.

Back with more tomorrow. Read on for the day’s news.

Sy Mukherjee, @the_sy_guy, sayak.mukherjee@fortune.com

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