New Implantable Diabetes Device Receives Major Backing

A tiny drug-loaded implantable pump that can be used to help treat patients with Type 2 diabetes has received significant financial backing from French pharmaceutical company Servier.

The French company believes that the device developed by Boston-based startup Intarcia Therapeutics can transform the global market for patients with diabetes.

Servier recently announced a $171M investment, with potential additional payments that could bring the total to more than $1B to secure rights over development of the device. For now, the investment will provide the French company with rights to develop the device in most markets outside the U.S., while Intarcia will retain full rights to treatments with the device in the U.S. and Japan.

The announcement signals the company’s strong belief in the device. Plans to submit the pump to regulators for approval are scheduled for 2016. The pump is no larger than a matchstick, and is designed to deliver a continuous dose of the drug exenatide to patients for up to a year. The pump was created to address a major issue in the treatment of Type 2 diabetes in which many patients fail to take pills or injections that are required to help them control their blood sugar.

Intarcia recently reported that in two late-stage studies involving 520 patients, the device significantly lowered blood sugar levels when used with standard oral medicines. The pump, known as the ITCA 650, is based on technology that enables the medicine to remain stable at body temperature, and can be implanted in abdominal tissue in a five-minute procedure. The device then releases exenatide continuously in micro quantities to allow patients to control a stable blood sugar level.

Intarcia’s implantable device is one of several recent developments that can potentially transform how diabetics manage their disease. Researchers in Taiwan also developed an alternative device that can help detect a dangerous condition known as diabetic autonomic neuropathy, which can lead to serious complications and health problems. Even Google recently announced a transformative contact lens that could help diabetics track their glucose levels with more ease and less invasiveness than than the standard practice of pricking fingers.

Today, over 382 million people are currently living with diabetes, according to the International Diabetes Federation, about 90% of which currently live outside the U.S. The vast majority suffer from Type 2 diabetes, a demographic that Servier hopes to reach in an effort to help them more effectively manage the disease. In addition to the initial investment, Servier has also committed to another $230M if all regulatory milestones are achieved in the first two years.

For now, two additional late-stage studies are under way as the company looks to continue to refine the device and prepare it for regular use. With the way things are shaping up, the next few years could prove to be groundbreaking when it comes to improving the monitoring and treatment of this disease that continues to plague millions of people worldwide.