Q3 2016 Highlights in Pharma and MedTech: Diabetes Innovations, COPD Devices, and Digital Health Advances
As the third quarter of 2016 came to a close, MobiHealthNews summarized the major news concerning healthcare providers, health insurance payers, and pharmaceutical companies. During this quarter, there was significant room for growth in connected diabetes devices. Of course, in addition to pharmaceutical companies, medical device manufacturers also played a key role. Other notable news from pharmaceutical companies spanning various therapeutic areas included developments in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), rheumatoid arthritis, and behavioral health. VCBeat (WeChat ID: vcbeat) has compiled a detailed overview for you; below is a summary of the key developments in the pharmaceutical and medical device sectors for the quarter. Due to the length of the content, it will be divided into three parts, with this article being the final installment.
At the end of the third quarter, Medtronic announced two developments related to connected diabetes care. On the hardware front, the company’s MiniMed 670G hybrid closed-loop insulin delivery system received FDA approval. Utilizing the Medtronic Guardian CGM and a new algorithm called SmartGuard, this device is the first automated insulin delivery system to gain FDA approval.
On the software front, Medtronic partnered with IBM Watson to create Sugar.IQ, the first test cohort application. The app features a manual food log and integrates data from Medtronic’s MiniMed Connect and the upcoming Guardian Connect app. Users can record their food intake, insulin injection times, and blood glucose levels, enabling Watson’s machine learning algorithms to generate predictive insights from this data. For instance, if a user logs tuna salad, the app can retrospectively analyze historical data to examine how their blood glucose responded after consuming the same meal in the past.
Earlier in the third quarter, Medtronic also launched the MiniMed 630G insulin pump. This year, Panasonic Healthcare acquired Bayer’s diabetes care division, and the newly established business unit, Ascensia Diabetes Care, subsequently launched its FDA 510(k)-cleared Contour Next Link blood glucose meter, which is the only device compatible with the 630G pump.
Abbott has also achieved certain regulatory milestones, with its more streamlined FreeStyle Libre Pro CGM system receiving FDA approval. The FreeStyle Libre Pro has transformed how physicians assess the severity of patients’ diabetes, offering a solution for obtaining comprehensive and reliable glucose data that is not only essential for clinicians but also critical for patients striving to maintain optimal health. The system uses near-field communication (NFC) to transmit data to suppliers in the United States. In Europe, both the prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) versions of FreeStyle Libre are available on the market. Abbott has partnered with mySugr, a diabetes logging application headquartered in Austria and San Diego, USA, enabling consumers to read sensor data directly through mySugr after upgrading to the Premium version.
Furthermore, this July, the U.S. FDA announced its approval for the marketing of Abbott’s Absorb GT1 Bioresorbable Vascular Scaffold System. According to Abbott’s product page, this is also the world’s first vascular scaffold that can be fully absorbed by the human body. The launch of Absorb is expected to effectively help patients worldwide undergoing coronary “angioplasty” avoid issues related to scar tissue formation caused by foreign materials, while also maintaining vessel patency and preventing restenosis.
Sanofi partnered with Google’s Verily (formerly known as Google Life Sciences) to establish Onduo, a joint venture dedicated to diabetes care, with a combined investment of approximately $500 million. Headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Onduo operates as a digital health platform that aims to fully integrate devices, software, medications, and services. By leveraging technology to deliver innovative therapies for patients with diabetes, the company seeks to achieve breakthroughs in diabetes monitoring and treatment, as well as in the study of patient behavior.
Insulet, the manufacturer of the OmniPod insulin pump, launched a new tablet application for children in July. Named Toby’s T1D Tale, the app essentially teaches pediatric patients with type 1 diabetes about the condition and how to manage it through an interactive virtual storybook format.
Animas, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, has faced some less-than-optimistic news: the company had to warn users to be vigilant about hacking vulnerabilities in the wireless connection between the remote control and the insulin pump.
In addition to Animas, LifeScan, another subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, has also made moves in the digital health sector. This March, the company announced a commercial collaboration agreement with WellDoc, a diabetes management company. Under the agreement, the two companies will integrate WellDoc’s FDA-cleared BlueStar diabetes management platform and mobile application into LifeScan’s OneTouch Verio Flex smartphone-connected blood glucose monitoring system. The ultimate goal of this collaboration is to create a data-driven, comprehensive combination product that is eligible for insurance reimbursement.
Meanwhile, Ethicon, Johnson & Johnson’s medical device subsidiary, has partnered with Touch Surgery, a developer of medical technology platforms, to provide simulated surgical training programs for professionals through a free mobile application.
According to industry estimates, the smart inhaler market is projected to reach a staggering $3.56 billion in 2024. Another significant move by pharmaceutical companies in the clinical sector during the third quarter focused on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and its associated medical devices. Qualcomm Life and Boehringer Ingelheim announced a collaboration to develop the next generation of Boehringer’s Respimat connected inhaler. Propeller Health, which developed the first-generation connected inhaler for Boehringer, will continue its partnership with Boehringer until the current version of the device reaches the market. AstraZeneca partnered with Quintiles to conduct clinical trials examining the impact of mobile medication reminders on patients with COPD.
GlaxoSmithKline, the largest pharmaceutical company in the UK, has also established a joint venture with Verily named Galvani Bioelectronics, with GlaxoSmithKline contributing 55% of the capital and Verily 45%. The two parties will focus on developing miniature implantable devices to intervene in neural synaptic signals, thereby regulating irregular or disordered pulses caused by certain diseases. Their goal is to achieve a major milestone by 2023: obtaining official approval for implantable electronic device therapies. Galvani will have two research centers, one located north of London and the other south of San Francisco. The joint venture will be led by Kris Famm, Vice President of Bioelectronics R&D at GlaxoSmithKline, and will initially hire 30 scientists, engineers, and clinicians.
In addition, GlaxoSmithKline launched the first ResearchKit app backed by a pharmaceutical company to study rheumatoid arthritis, and collaborated with The Weather Channel to create Theraflu, an influenza forecasting application designed to help the company expand its presence in the flu market.
Pfizer conducted clinical trials with Brigham and Women’s Hospital in the field of rheumatoid arthritis to test an application designed to treat the disease. At the end of the third quarter, Pfizer also launched a consumer application called Moodivator, aimed at treating depression.
AstraZeneca has expanded its Fit2Me program, extending its scope from providing dietary and lifestyle support for patients with diabetes to supporting patients at risk of cardiovascular disease. Implemented since late June this year, the program now offers applications for both iOS and Android platforms. Novartis has begun developing a digital coaching project to serve as a tool in clinical trials. Joris Van Dam, Head of Strategic Development Projects at Novartis Pharmaceuticals, showcased the numerous benefits of this initiative at an event in Boston in September.
Related Reading:
Review: Major Events in the Medical Supplier Industry in Q3 2016 (Part I)
Review: Major Events in the Health Insurance Industry in Q3 2016 (Part II)