Novel Insulin Delivery Systems Pump New Life Into Diabetes Device Market

Article preview from Medtech Insight - September 2013

The market for insulin delivery devices is positioned to change significantly with several manufacturers gearing their products toward type 2 diabetics, who make up 90% to 95% of the diabetes patient pool in the US. These new, “pump-like” devices could offer the type 2 diabetes population better control in managing glucose levels, a solution the medical community has been seeking for a while.

Novel Insulin Delivery Systems Pump New Life Into Diabetes Device Market

Article preview from Medtech Insight - September 2013

The way diabetic patients receive insulin and manage their disease could go through some major changes in the next few years, and that is turning the field into a very active marketplace that medical professionals as well as investors are watching closely. The major shift starts with insulin injections, which will remain a key component of managing blood sugar levels, but new delivery systems are offering a more appealing alternative to the pain, inconvenience, and stigma of using syringes, and manufacturers are pursuing the large type 2 (T2) diabetic population for these new systems.

The benchmark of progress in diabetes treatments is usually measured at the American Diabetes Association (ADA) annual industry conference, and this year’s event, the 73rd Scientific Sessions, held in Chicago, was filled with extra buzz about some of the newer technologies and product advancements. Among the clear trends on display was an emphasis on better treatment for T2 patients, who account for about 90% to 95% of the 18.8 million diagnosed diabetes cases in the US, and an undetermined percentage of the 7.0 million undiagnosed cases in the country, according to the ADA and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Worldwide, 90% of the 347 million people with diabetes have T2 disease, according to the World Health Organization.

In contrast to type 1 (T1) diabetes, which is an autoimmune disease that destroys the insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas, T2 diabetes is a metabolic disease in which the body is resistant to the effects of insulin and/or doesn’t produce enough insulin to maintain a normal glucose level. The development of T2 diabetes has been clearly linked to obesity, and poor diet and exercise habits are helping to provide a growing population of T2 diabetics worldwide.

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