INDIANAPOLIS — By the middle of this year, Roche Diabetes Care plans to release the Accu-Chek Nano SmartView, a miniature blood glucose monitor that the company said marks the brand’s first single-strip no-code meter.

Accu-Chek Nano SmartView

The company said this week that it received clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the new glucose monitor, which is smaller than a credit card. Plans call for the product to become available in the first half of 2012.

"The Accu-Chek Nano blood glucose meter will appeal to those who prefer a small, discreet meter with maximum performance and is Roche Diabetes Care’s latest innovation aimed at enabling diabetes success for our customers and their health care team," stated Marc Gibeley, the head of Roche Diabetes Care North America. "It is easy to use and will help people with diabetes regularly check their blood glucose levels before making informed therapy and lifestyle adjustments."

According to Roche, the compact Accu-Chek Nano SmartView doesn’t require any of the coding previously needed to calibrate glucose meters to their respective test strips. The product will use the maltose-independent Accu-Chek SmartView test strips. In addition, the new meter features a large, bright backlit display and brings improved functions such as customizable test reminders, pre- and postmeal markers, and average glucose calculation.

"We are very excited to bring this latest blood glucose monitoring technology to the United States," commented Luc Vierstraete, global head of Roche Diabetes Care. "The Accu-Chek Nano meter is the newest advancement in Roche’s more than 35-year commitment to bring state-of-the-art innovations to people with diabetes and their caregivers and continues our promise to enabling optimal diabetes management."