Christopher GrayHello:

Thank you for this question. Let me try to address it in two ways.

First, affordability is certainly an issue, and we appreciate its significance very much. At least in the United States, this is helped somewhat by insurance reimbursement, Medicare and the personal resources of many customers. However, leaving an answer at that would be a bit of a cop-out on my part. So, while I do think that this is a point to be kept in mind, it's by no means the entire answer.

Talking blood glucose meters have been extremely expensive in the past. The now discontinued but flagship meter, Roche's Accu-Check, sold for US$500. Bay Area Digital's goal has been from the outset to provide a superior product for at least half the price. We can do that. I make this claim based on the current projected cost of goods for the stand-alone talking FreeStyle meter. Our projections are 90% firm at this time.

Is that price still too high? This is a REALLY hard question. For some, the answer is almost certainly "yes". For users in the third world, the answer is absolutely "yes". Our long-term strategy is to create a series of meters, each with its own set of capabilities. As we do this, the price of the first meters we release will be reduced, and it is our strategy to retain a US$250-$300 maximum price point for standard blood glucose meters. Given our other product initiatives, we believe this is achievable.

Finally, Bay Area Digital intends to bring greater involvement from the nonprofit sector to bear in the marketing of our products. This should greatly assist individuals who truly cannot afford meters at the retail price to obtain them in other ways.

I hope this helps answer your question.

Chris