Lilly Forms Pact with Diabetes Tech Companies to Integrate Connected Insulin Pen Solutions

On May 6, 2021, Eli Lilly and Company (Lilly) announced that it has signed strategic international agreements with four diabetes technology companies—DexCom, Glooko, myDiabby Healthcare, and Roche—to integrate data and technology in a bid to streamline diabetes management in markets outside the United States. These companies offer unique diabetes management platforms that are compatible with Lilly's Tempo Pen (approved in several global markets) and Tempo Smart Button (currently in late-stage development).

Tempo Pen is a modified version of Lilly's existing prefilled, disposable insulin pen. The Tempo Smart Button is designed to attach to the Tempo Pen and is pending Conformité Européenne (or European Conformity) (CE) marking. Lilly said it aims to receive CE mark for the Tempo Smart Button later in 2021 and will launch the Tempo Pen and Tempo Smart Button in several international markets following this certification.

Through Lilly’s new agreements, the Tempo Smart Button will pair with software and/or medical devices offered by Dexcom, Glooko, myDiabby Healthcare, and Roche, via Lilly’s mySugr app. This pairing is expected to facilitate the integration of personalized data and actionable insights, Lilly stated in a company press release.

"We're pleased to work alongside these innovative partners who share our commitment to improving diabetes outcomes by bringing together medicine and digital solutions for the global diabetes community," said Marie Schiller, vice-president of product development for Connected Care and Insulins at Lilly, in the press release. "Insulin dose logging is often an incomplete piece of the diabetes management puzzle for people who use insulin pens and manually track their doses. By integrating data from the connected insulin pen solutions into widely used compatible software, including potential future collaborations, we aim to support improved decision-making for people with diabetes and their healthcare providers with accurate, real-time data collection. These solutions may also help address psychological barriers like fear of hypoglycemia that may negatively impact diabetes management."

"People with diabetes need access to all of the key information about their condition. For those who use insulin pens, tracking how much insulin they delivered and the time of the dose and bringing that information together with glucose data can help them meaningfully improve their management," said Tadej Battelino, head of Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism, UCH professor, at the University of Ljubljana, in the press release. "These agreements mark a meaningful step towards providing useful tools that help provide real-time guidance and holistic support to ease some of the burdens of living with diabetes."

Source: Eli Lilly and Company