A partnership between Apple and startup Rune Labs,The Apple Watch has been cleared by the US Food and Drug Administration to be used as a health monitoring device to monitor tremors and other common symptoms in people with Parkinson's disease.

The Rune Labs software uses motion sensors built into the Apple Watch that can be used to detect when a person falls. Brian & Middot, CEO of Rune Labs; Brian Pepin, Apple's chief executive, said in an interview that the data generated by the Apple Watch would be combined with data from other sources, including from Medtronic Inc (MDT.N) implants, which measure brain signals.

Rune Labs aims to let doctors use the consolidated data to decide whether and how to fine-tune a patient's treatment schedule and flow. Currently, the CEO said, most doctors have to collect data by looking at patients' movements during brief clinical visits, but such data isn't accurate because Parkinson's symptoms can vary so much over time.

CEO Pepin said Rune Labs' StrivePD software platform will provide doctors with continuous observation over long periods of time while using the Apple Watch.

The FDA approval of Rune Labs is the first prominent use of a software tool for measuring movement disorders that Apple released in 2018.

Apple has partnered with a number of companies to use the Apple Watch as a health monitoring device, including a deal with Johnson & Johnson to study whether it could be used to help reduce the risk of stroke.

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