Kailian Medical and Hangzhou Weice Announce Strategic Partnership to Co-Develop a Semi-Closed-Loop Smart Glucose Management System

On June 1, Kailian Medical Technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. (“Kailian”), a next-generation insulin pump manufacturer, signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Hangzhou VivaChek Biotechnology Co., Ltd. (“VivaChek”), the leading glucose meter manufacturer by export volume in the European Union. The two companies will collaborate on the application and research and development of Kailian’s smart insulin pump (brand name: LePump) and VivaChek’s Bluetooth glucose meter (brand name: VivaChek Yinuo Glucose Meter) for closed-loop blood glucose management in patients with diabetes.

The partnership between Kailian Medical and VivaChek marks the first strategic collaboration between domestic manufacturers of insulin pumps and blood glucose meters. Leveraging the respective strengths of their products in treatment and monitoring, this alliance integrates therapy and testing data via the cloud to provide healthcare professionals and patients with real-time, effective therapeutic insights. This enables intelligent, full-lifecycle management of diabetes—spanning disease monitoring, treatment, and care networks—thereby creating both social and market value. Building on this foundation, the two companies will also jointly develop semi-closed-loop blood glucose management solutions.

(Left: Huang Xiaomin, Founder of Kailian Medical; Right: Wang Chengchao, Co-founder of VivaChek)

Closed-loop glucose management (commonly known as the artificial pancreas) has been a long-standing aspiration in diabetes care for over two decades, with ambitious industry players continuously exploring its potential. With the advancement and deep integration of “Internet Plus” technologies into patients’ daily lives, cloud-based data aggregation and computation enable seamless linkage between monitoring results and treatment plans. This approach offers a more efficient solution for closed-loop management, reducing algorithmic complexity in closed-loop insulin pump devices and lowering safety risks. This strategic partnership allows all parties to leverage their respective strengths, fostering close upstream-downstream collaboration from monitoring to treatment, thereby providing a competitive edge in China’s vast diabetes market.

In 2019, Kailian’s intelligent insulin pump (LePump) received NMPA approval for market launch. As a next-generation insulin pump, it features novel functionalities such as an OLED color display, capacitive touch keys, automatic basal rate allocation, and Bluetooth connectivity. Leveraging the pump’s Bluetooth capability, a cloud-based service management platform—WeiZhixian—was developed as a complementary solution. Compared with similar products on the market, LePump better embodies safety, simplicity, and user-centric design, with its aesthetic appearance more aligned with current user preferences.

LePump is one of the few smart insulin pumps available in the Chinese market that features Bluetooth connectivity, which serves as a key foundation for this strategic partnership. The cloud-based management platform, designed and developed from the perspectives of both patients and healthcare providers, facilitates seamless data management for blood glucose meters and insulin pumps. It synchronizes pump operation logs and blood glucose test results via Bluetooth transmission. Treatment analysis reports can be shared with family and friends for review, while healthcare professionals can access patient treatment reports through the Kailian Cloud Doctor portal. This cloud-enabled data exchange with medical centers establishes a comprehensive care network, allowing for real-time monitoring of patient adherence and effectively improving therapeutic outcomes.

As a professional manufacturer and service provider of blood glucose monitoring and POCT solutions, VivaChek has exported its products to more than 80 countries and regions, including Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, and the United States, since its establishment in August 2013. The Bluetooth-enabled smart blood glucose meters launched by VivaChek comply with and exceed EN ISO 15197:2015 (the latest standard for blood glucose testing certification). Featuring wireless Bluetooth transmission, test data is synchronized and uploaded in real time, enabling healthcare professionals to effectively assist patients in managing their blood glucose levels through cloud-based data. The device powers on automatically upon insertion of a test strip, delivering results within five seconds after sample application. It requires only 0.5 microliters of blood, minimizing pain during sampling. Furthermore, physicians can provide continuous follow-up care for discharged patients by reviewing test data, conducting timely follow-ups, and offering online guidance to help patients achieve effective blood glucose control.

Amid the global pandemic, patients with diabetes have become a vulnerable population with poor treatment outcomes. Strengthening diabetes management and empowering patients in self-management has thus become increasingly critical. Since its inception, Kailian Medical has adhered to its mission: “We cannot change the disease, but we can improve patients’ lives.” The successful integration of Kailian’s insulin pump with VivaChek’s Bluetooth blood glucose monitoring system provides a new solution for semi-closed-loop diabetes management, offering fresh strategic directions in China’s highly competitive diabetes market.

Currently, patients with diabetes can monitor their treatment progress and blood glucose levels in real time through this management platform. By integrating data and factors such as diet and exercise for comprehensive analysis, the platform enables timely intervention for abnormal blood glucose levels, thereby preventing associated acute and chronic complications. In the future, a more intelligent, closed-loop management system will be employed to provide comprehensive diabetes care, ultimately improving patients’ quality of life.