DexCom, a medical device manufacturer, has announced that they are developing an application for Apple Inc.’s smartwatch. The app is due to be ready in April, which should coincide with the expected April release of the Apple Watch.

Existing monitor’s manufactured by DexCom use a “hair’s width sensor” that is implanted under the diabetics skin. This sensor measures glucose levels every five minutes, and then synchronizes the data with a handheld device located no more than 20 feet from the user. With the app installed, this device communicates with the iPhone and subsequently the Apple Watch, where the glucose levels are displayed in the form of a graph, giving the wearer an update at a glance.

Even though the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has closely scrutinized these sorts of applications in the past, The Wall Street Journal reports that the FDA has been convinced to change course when it comes to health apps. A change that was prompted by DexCom and a group of developers behind another diabetes-related application called NightScout.

“The group’s effort challenged the slow pace of innovation and regulatory approval in the field. It also highlighted the growing role that Silicon Valley companies and software developers hope to have in monitoring and maintaining people’s health.

Previously, the FDA considered glucose monitors and any associated software to be Class III medical devices, meaning they received the highest level of regulatory scrutiny. But the spread of NightScout, the system developed by the group of software engineers, and DexCom’s submission of a separate iPhone app for review prompted the FDA to change course last month.”

In June last year Reuters reported that Samsung, Apple and Google were exploring how to incorporate Continuous Glucose Monitoring into wearables, however they were constrained by the FDA. The change now from the FDA will benefit both Apple, their competitors, as well as third-party developers as they explore the creation of more health-related apps.

Recently Apple has been making a move towards a more health-concerned future. In preparation for the built-in fitness integration features of the Watch, they introduced the Health app into iOS 8. In addition, 14 top U.S. hospitals are running trial programs with HealthKit.

Image via Apple Inc.