Novo Nordisk and Medtronic Join Forces to Enable Glucose Data Sharing Between Smart Insulin Pens and CGM Systems

Compiled by Fan Dongdong

Novo Nordisk and Medtronic Announce Partnership to Integrate Digital Products into Diabetes Care, Including Data Sharing Between Continuous Glucose Monitoring Devices and Smart Insulin Pens

In October 2018, Novo Nordisk announced that it would launch the connected smart insulin pens NovoPen 6 and NovoPen Echo Plus, along with disposable pre-filled injection options, in early 2019. The company plans to roll out these products to more than 50 countries and regions worldwide over the next few years, gradually replacing the currently marketed NovoPen 5 and NovoPen Easy.

For Novo Nordisk, the collaboration with Medtronic’s Guardian Connect continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) system further solidifies its position as a leading manufacturer of continuous glucose monitors. Guardian Connect is the first smart, standalone continuous glucose monitoring system, approved by the U.S. FDA in March 2018, capable of helping patients with diabetes predict symptoms caused by abnormal blood glucose levels in advance. The system measures patients’ blood glucose levels every five minutes and displays the readings via a companion mobile app, enabling real-time monitoring of glucose trends and tracking of changes in glucose concentrations. Following the partnership with Novo Nordisk, the Guardian Connect CGM system will undergo adjustments and updates to facilitate the integration of patient-shared data transmitted from Novo Nordisk’s smart pens.

Both companies stated that collecting this data would also help healthcare professionals understand patients’ blood glucose levels, thereby assisting them in developing or adjusting corresponding treatment plans to select the most appropriate therapeutic interventions within a limited timeframe.

Novo Nordisk’s collaboration with Medtronic is similar to the partnership announced around the same time by its competitors, Abbott and Sanofi, who will engage in a non-exclusive collaboration to share glucose sensing and insulin injection data.

Sanofi’s connected insulin pen, mobile application, and cloud-based software currently under development will enable the sharing of diabetes patient data with Abbott’s FreeStyle Libre mobile app-enabled devices and cloud software. Sanofi stated that the two companies aim to secure regulatory approval and commercialize this technology in the coming years.

Reference Source: With new Medtronic pact, Novo Nordisk's smart insulin pen to link with all major CGMs