EOFlow, a medical device developer, said Monday that it has launched the world’s second wearable insulin pump, EOPatch.
“The insulin treatment has been showing rapid developments beyond insulin pen and glucose meters and heading toward a one-in-system combining insulin pump, continuous glucose monitoring, and insulin patch,” Professor Park Cheol-young of the Department of Endocrinology at Kangbuk Samsung Hospital said at a news conference.
Park said that it is necessary to implement an integrated management system capable of reducing hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia by applying algorithms to monitor blood glucose level, insulin dosage, and medication history to improve blood sugar controls.
Park emphasized the need to develop a solution that reduces the number of administration and improves the convenience of use by enhancing the fixed injection time.
EOPatch is a disposable insulin pump allowing improved lesion management by injecting insulin into the body by attaching it to the belly. It continuously delivers insulin to diabetic patients for their blood sugar management.
The company has improved the ease of use by removing the tube from the existing insulin pumps. The device is waterproof with reduces size and weight and allows weekly replacement by users.
EOFlow designed the wearable patch controllable by the Advanced Diabetes Manager (ADM) and EOBridge, analyzing statistical diabetes data. EOBridge provides users’ blood glucose level and injection history through an app or website, and the data can be shared with guardians and healthcare providers.
Commenting on the device’s possible malfunctioning, EOFlow CEO Kim Jae-jin explained that the company has tested safety with thousands of its product samples and reported no problems.
He pointed out that the EOPatch immediately alarms users when it malfunctions or reads glucose meter incorrectly and stops functioning.
“We have signed an agreement with Menarini to supply EOPatch to the European market, and also contacted with various companies for its U.S. supply,” CEO Kim said. “For the next clinical trials to be conducted in other countries, we have positive outlooks for recruiting.”
Kim added that the company envisions bright growth prospects for its product in the future, as tens of millions of patients use multiple-dose insulin (MDI) injections, who have begun switching to wearable devices.
EOFlow is stepping up its development efforts to commercialize wearable artificial pancreas in 2022 and all-in-one wearable artificial pancreas in 2023.