We’ve created our very own 12 days of Christmas for the life science sector. Medical Plastics News, Digital Health Age and European Pharmaceutical Manufacturer put a festive feel on the news in 2016
12 Days of Xmas 3
On the third day of Christmas life science gave to me…
…voices from the industry, fitness trackers we love and insulin pens
The diabetes and insulin pen market is never short of innovation and 2016 was no exception. As always new devices, partnerships and breakthroughs kept this sector of the market buoyant and thriving.
Irish medtech company, Innovation Zed, announced a new attachable accessory for insulin pens to allow for more flexible insulin management for diabetic patients.
Innovation Zed
The result of three years R&D, the InsulCheck Connect automatically collects and records insulin pen usage and behaviour data to improve diabetes management and lead to more positive health outcomes.
Meanwhile London-based health start-up Patients Pending announced its new product, a Bluetooth-enabled dose capture cap that the company hopes will provide data and more automated care for diabetic patients.
The device is compatible with leading insulin pens and aims to give patients and caregivers data such as personalised dosing support, coaching and patient/clinical communication.
Currently less than 1% of diabetes patients have access to their health data. Patients Pending hopes that its new device will make living with the disease simpler, safer and more balanced. The device is now in its final phase of research and development.
CEO and co-founder John Sjölund, who has been living with Type 1 diabetes for over 30 years said: “When insulin and continuous blood glucose data are combined on a smartphone, the resulting possibilities of providing individually personalised dosing and behaviour recommendations - at the right time – is game-changing.”
Not strictly an insulin pen but exciting for the treatment of diabetes nonetheless. 2016 saw Medtronic win approval from the FDA for an ‘artificial pancreas’.
Medtronic
The device, the MiniMed 670G, has been hailed as a breakthrough by the FDA and is the first device to automatically administer the correct doses of insulin to patients with type 1 diabetes who are aged 14 years and older.
For the device to work patients are given a sensor which is slipped under the skin. The sensor monitors blood sugar levels and wirelessly transmits data to a continuous glucose monitor. This data is then used by an insulin pump which can administer the drug if the wearer’s blood glucose levels are too low.
The device has the potential to help diabetic patients maintain good blood glucose levels helping to avoid things such as seizures, headaches, shaking, or in extreme cases, comas or even death.
Meanwhile in the manufacturing sector, Carclo Technical Plastics announced an expansion of its Surrey site to continue the manufacturing scale-up of drug delivery devices and diagnostic disposables.
One project is the partnership between Carclo Technical Plastics and pharma company BD Medical – Pharmaceutical Systems. The link-up is based on the development of the BD Vystra disposable pen which is used for delivery of insulin and other liquid pharmaceuticals. Carclo Technical Plastics is now contracted to manufacture components of the device in high volume.