Kailian Medical and Jiunuo Medical Announce Strategic Collaboration to Co-Develop and Commercialize Artificial Pancreas System (APS)

On October 18, 2021, KaiLian Medical Technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. (“KaiLian Medical”), an innovative enterprise in the field of intelligent insulin infusion, and Nantong Jiunuo Medical Technology Co., Ltd. (“Jiunuo Medical”), a leading company in the continuous glucose monitoring system (“CGMS”) industry, signed an agreement to establish a strategic partnership. The two parties will leverage their respective technological advantages in insulin pumps, CGMS, and control algorithms to jointly promote the research and development, manufacturing, and commercialization of Artificial Pancreas Systems (APS), with a commitment to advancing new approaches to blood glucose management and improving patients’ quality of life.

Artificial Pancreas System (also known as a closed-loop pump) generally refers to an intelligent insulin delivery system comprising biosensors, continuous infusion devices, and control algorithms. Currently, the most common artificial pancreas systems consist of a Continuous Glucose Monitoring System (CGMS), an insulin pump, and a closed-loop algorithm. The CGMS continuously collects patient blood glucose data; the closed-loop algorithm issues management commands to the insulin pump based on this glucose data and other relevant parameters; and the insulin pump promptly delivers insulin to the patient according to these commands, thereby completing the closed loop from monitoring to treatment. This system achieves closed-loop insulin delivery, significantly improving glycemic control, enhancing patients' quality of life, reducing complications, and lowering healthcare costs.

Kailian Medical is a leading platform-based innovative enterprise in China dedicated to the R&D of micro-drug infusion systems and solutions for chronic disease management, and it acquired Kailian LePump by the end of 2019.^®The intelligent insulin pump has received NMPA approval and been launched on the market. As a new-generation intelligent insulin pump, it is recommended by the “Chinese Guidelines for Insulin Pump Therapy (2021 Edition)” due to its safe and effective blood glucose control, user-friendly operation, and human-centered design, and is listed as one of the major insulin pump brands in the Chinese market. Compared with similar products on the market, Kailian Le Pump^®It is one of the few domestically marketed intelligent insulin pumps with mature Bluetooth transmission capabilities, which serves as a key foundation for this strategic partnership. Reviewing the most advanced closed-loop insulin delivery systems under development abroad, the predominant model involves collaborations between insulin pump manufacturers equipped with data transmission hardware and CGM companies. These partnerships leverage accurate data acquisition and artificial intelligence algorithms to achieve fully automated insulin delivery and management.

As a global innovative enterprise dedicated to continuous glucose monitoring system (CGMS) technology, Jiunuo Medical has successfully developed the world’s first 14-day calibration-free real-time CGM system. All parameters of this product have reached industry-leading levels. It provides real-time alerts for hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia, thereby reducing the risks associated with abnormal blood glucose levels; achieves globally leading monitoring accuracy that meets the standards required for clinical decision-making; and offers comprehensive algorithmic support based on CGM data, including blood glucose prediction, insulin dose calculation, and closed-loop control algorithms, which constitutes one of the key foundations of this strategic partnership. As of 2020, Jiunuo Medical’s CGMS products had entered the markets of 15 overseas countries and were poised to launch in the domestic Chinese market. In the future, Jiunuo Medical will continue to focus on breakthrough research in areas such as semi-permeable membrane materials, dehydrogenase technology, blood glucose prediction algorithms, data mining and interaction, soft cannula delivery systems, wireless transmission systems, and ecosystem development.

The strategic partnership between Kailian Medical and Jiunuo Medical represents a pioneering collaboration and a significant milestone in China between a continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) system provider and an insulin pump manufacturer. Leveraging the respective strengths of their products in monitoring and treatment, this alliance aims to achieve data interoperability between CGM systems and insulin pumps, thereby enabling closed-loop insulin delivery. This initiative seeks to provide innovative, comprehensive, and high-quality glycemic management solutions for patients with diabetes in China, improve their quality of life, and support the effective prevention and control of endocrine chronic diseases. In the future, both parties will strive to expand their cooperation into broader areas, jointly building an industry ecosystem for chronic diabetes management.