Have you tried the Syai Ultra CGM?

There’s a new CGM in town… and it’s the size of a R1 coin! The Syai Ultra CGM. We asked the team behind it why you should try the Syai.

What is the Syai Ultra CGM?

The Syai Ultra CGM is an intelligent continuous glucose monitoring ecosystem, with a sleek design that helps people better understand, track and manage their diabetes. It is an all-in-one, ultra-light, compact sensor with 14 days of wear.

It creates a diabetes management ecosystem that helps people better understand their glucose data… all in one app.

Founded and developed in Singapore, Syai Health brings together leading scientific minds from globally recognised institutions, including the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge, to pioneer advanced biosensor technologies.

The indication is for 18 years old and up, with paediatric indication underway.

What makes the Syai Ultra CGM different?

It’s all in the name: “Synchronised Artificial Intelligence”. Managing diabetes shouldn’t feel like a chore…

The Syai Ultra continuous glucose monitoring system includes:

• Smart alerts:
  • Customisable high and low alerts
  • Predictive “Low Soon” and “Urgent Low” alarms.
  • Customisable alert schedules
• AI-powered insights that give you intelligent analysis and personalised guidance to learn from your glucose patterns without added stress.
• Comprehensive event logging, including insulin, exercise, meals with food photos and carb estimations.
• In-app glucose report generation.
• 30-minute warm-up time before you see your readings.
• 14-day wear period.
• Waterproof with an IP28 rating.
• Clinically tested with exceptional accuracy (MARD of 8.1%).
• No routine fingersticks unless your symptoms differ from your readings.
• 24/7 real-time readings every minute.

The Syai Ultra sensor is also ultra-light and smaller than a South African R1 coin, designed to provide a discreet, comfortable experience.

The Syai Ultra CGM also offers:

• Connectivity with smart insulin pens (NovoPen 6 and Echo Plus).
• Extensive smartphone compatibility.
• Smartwatch connectivity.
• Syai Link: Connects your information with 15 followers, including real-time readings, trends, alerts and alarms, and any logged event.
• Syai Doctor: Seamless connection with your healthcare team.
• A non-clinical user experience – with softer colours, the app provides a calming effect even when glucose levels are outside of your target range.

“The visual aspects and colours created a calm situation to be able to understand and comprehend the very emotional information I receive on a daily basis regarding my blood glucose.”

Marli van Zyl

What’s so special about the Syai Ultra app, and the data it offers?

What makes the Syai ecosystem special is that it empowers you rather than overwhelming you with raw numbers. Because the app provides 24/7 real-time readings, you can see where your glucose levels are and where they are heading.

The app then uses AI-powered analysis to deliver intelligent insights, helping you spot patterns and learn from your body in ways that reduce unnecessary stress.

The app sends an automated glucose report after 14 days of wear, but it can also be generated within the app.

“In the beginning I was surprised at how persistent the alarms were when my glucose levels dropped below normal. It was definitely something to get used to. The constant updates about my glucose levels and its trends were however super beneficial and it’s allowed me to feel more in control,” says Daneen.

How accurate is it?

The Syai Ultra CGM’s accuracy has been demonstrated through rigorous testing. It has a clinically tested MARD (Mean Absolute Relative Difference) of 8.1%. The lower the MARD, the more accurate the device.

It is distributed locally by Ethitech (a trusted company with over 21 years’ experience in health innovation solutions), who strongly believe in the technology and have chosen to represent Syai because of its potential to offer another high-quality option for people living with diabetes.

How is AI safely incorporated?

Artificial Intelligence often raises concerns, particularly in healthcare. The Syai team believes education is key: AI isn’t replacing doctors or making decisions on behalf of people living with diabetes. It is there to help make sense of large amounts of glucose data and provide meaningful insights.

Think about the evolution of how we access information. We used encyclopedias, then Google, and now many people use AI to understand information more efficiently. Healthcare is no different. AI is another tool that can support informed decision-making.

At Syai, AI is designed to support diabetes management — not to make decisions for you.

The important distinction is that AI should work with the person living with diabetes, rather than take control away from them. Your glucose readings always come directly from the sensor and are never generated or altered by AI. AI does not replace your healthcare professional or make treatment decisions on your behalf.

By identifying patterns and trends that may otherwise go unnoticed, AI has the potential to make diabetes management increasingly proactive rather than reactive. Importantly, people remain in control. AI-powered features can be turned off at any time if someone prefers not to use them.

Features like estimating carbohydrates from a photo, educational guidance and blood sugar insights are intended to help people better understand their data, recognise patterns and make more informed choices.

What is the Syai Ultra CGM compatible with?

The Syai app is available on:

Apple App Store (compatible with: iOS 13 and above)

Google Play Store (compatible with: Android 8.1 and above)

CGM users download the Syai app, while those following your readings can use the Syai Link app (also available on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.

The app connects directly with Samsung smartwatches, with connectivity to Garmin and Apple Watches also available.

Does it pass the CGM Accuracy Checklist from SA Diabetes Advocacy?

Yes it does.

1. Who was it tested on?

The first clinical trial included adults with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. The second was a paediatric trial, with 96.7% of participants living with Type 1 diabetes and 3.3% with Type 2 diabetes. A third clinical trial in adults and children is underway.

2. How many people were in the study?

First trial: 69 participants. Second trial: 60 participants.

3. Was it tested for the full wear time?

Yes. First trial: tested for the full 14 days, compared to venous blood (EKF). Second trial: tested over 60 days, compared to self-monitored blood glucose (SMBG).

4. Was it tested in low and high glucose ranges? How many readings were at low and high glucose levels?

Yes. In the first trial, 37 (1.9%) readings were <3.9 mmol/L, and 871 (43.6%) readings were >=10.0 mmol/L. In the second trial, 137 (5.3%) readings were <3.9 mmol/L (, and 1147 (44.3%) readings were >=10.0mmol/L.

5. Was it tested during fast glucose changes? (For example, after a large carb meal.)

Rapid glucose fluctuations were naturally captured during standard monitoring. Formal food or insulin challenge protocols were not conducted in either trial.

6. Was the data checked independently?

Yes. The study is currently being prepared for publication and peer review.

Who is the team behind Syai?

Behind Syai in South Africa is a team with extensive, shared experience in diabetes technology, CGM and insulin pump therapy. While Syai is a new offering to the South African market, the people behind it are certainly not new to the diabetes space.

The team supporting doctors and people living with diabetes bring many years of experience in the CGM and diabetes technology industry.

What makes this team particularly special is that many of them have worked together before; they have a shared history in diabetes technology. Over time, their professional paths took them in different directions, but they found themselves working together again at Ethitech to support the distribution of Syai in South Africa.

“It felt, in many ways, like coming home – this time around a new generation of sensor technology and an exciting pipeline of future innovations that we genuinely believe can add value for people living with diabetes and their healthcare teams.”

Imke Erasmus, living with Type 1 diabetes and working at Ethitech on the Syai team

Collectively, the team brings many years’ experience across CGM and insulin pump therapy, spanning management, sales and customer support. They also have two in-house colleagues living with diabetes, who bring valuable personal experience and understanding to their work.

This diabetes expertise is supported by Ethitech’s broader point-of-care business, which has been established and well known in South Africa for the past 21 years. Syai is an additional service offering within Ethitech, enabling the company to combine its established healthcare expertise with a team that has deep, practical experience in diabetes technology.

Is the Syai Ultra CGM covered by medical aid?

The team are currently in discussions with various medical aids in South Africa regarding coverage for the Syai Ultra CGM. They are working towards making this technology accessible to as many people living with diabetes as possible.

Where can you buy the Syai Ultra CGM?

• Syai Online Store 
• Pharmacy Direct
• Medipost Pharmacy 
• CDE Online Store

Find out more about the Syai Ultra CGM here: https://syaisync.co.za

Let us know if you’ve tried the Syai!