Print“We believe there is tremendous opportunity to better align care across the diabetes care continuum through new and varied technologies and patient care management strategies, says Omar Ishrak, CEO, Medtronic.”
For companies developing drugs and devices for chronic conditions such as diabetes, its not just about getting the product to market anymore. It’s about helping patients to use their products properly and better manage their condition. To do that, the Big Pharma Sanofi and leading device maker Medtronic say they plan to enter into a global strategic alliance, initially focused on diabetes, aimed at improving patient experience and outcomes.
The announcement comes as Sanofi’s blockbuster insulin Lantus faces patent expiration in 2015. Lantus sales reached $7.6 billion in 2013 and accounted for almost a fifth of Sanofi’s revenue. While Sanofi just released promising results of late stage trials for its next-generation replacement for Lantus, both Merck and Eli Lilly are developing biosimilars that will compete for global sales.
The Sanofi-Medtronic alliance, structured as an open innovation model, will focus on the development of insulin-device combinations and the delivery of care management services to improve adherence, simplify insulin treatment, and help people with diabetes better manage their condition. If successful, Sanofi and Medtronic may explore other areas for potential collaboration.
“We know that insulin and other medicines are only one element of treating the whole patient. There is no day off in managing diabetes, and lack of adherence is one of the major hurdles to optimal disease management,” says Pascale Witz, executive vice president of Global Divisions & Strategic Planning, Sanofi. “That is why Sanofi is committed to developing integrated care solutions that focus on making life easier for people with diabetes and improving clinical outcomes that may help reduce costs to the overall healthcare system.”
The alliance will pair Sanofi’s insulin portfolio and pipeline with Medtronic’s insulin pumps and continuous glucose monitoring devices to deliver novel drug-device combinations that are more affordable and easier to use, thus increasing therapy adherence and delivering better outcomes. Efforts will focus on improving the management of type 2 diabetes, especially for people who cannot achieve glucose control even with multiple daily injections of insulin through a program designed to help these patients through the initiation phase of insulin treatment, when many patients drop out.
“Diabetes is unfortunately rising in prevalence around the world, driving up system costs and, most importantly, adversely impacting the lives of millions of people,” says Omar Ishrak, chairman and CEO, Medtronic. “Like Sanofi, we believe there is tremendous opportunity to better align care across the diabetes care continuum through new and varied technologies and patient care management strategies.”
June 15, 2014
http://www.burrillreport.com/article-coming_together_to_improve_patient_outcomes.html
