Samsung's blood pressure monitoring app earns medical device approval in South Korea

• The software leverages a smartwatch's sensors and can regularly check a person's blood pressure.
• It will run on wearable devices that have blood pressure checking sensors, such as its Galaxy Watch Active2.

SEOUL: Samsung Electronics Co. said Tuesday its blood pressure monitoring mobile application has earned medical device approval in South Korea.

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety has granted the Software as a Medical Device (SaMD) license to its health monitoring app, according to Samsung.

The software leverages a smartwatch's sensors and can regularly check a person's blood pressure.

Samsung said it plans to release the app no later than the third quarter of the year. It will run on wearable devices that have blood pressure checking sensors, such as its Galaxy Watch Active2.

South Korea's drug safety ministry in February revised its instructions on medical-purpose mobile applications to foster the country's ICT industry. So far, 35 mobile apps have earned SaMD approval from the ministry.