DUBLIN and BAGSVÆRD, Denmark, Sept. 16, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Medtronic plc (NYSE:MDT), and Novo Nordisk A/S today announced a collaboration that will develop solutions to integrate insulin dosing data from future Novo Nordisk smart insulin pens into Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) devices from Medtronic, such as the Guardian™ Connect system.

People with diabetes spend an average of one hour a day on self-care, amounting to a full two years devoted exclusively to their disease over their lifetime.1,2This new, non-exclusive collaboration reflects both companies′commitment to making diabetes management easier by integrating key health technologies.

"Millions of people living with diabetes work to control their sugar levels and track their insulin injections every day. To help ease the hassle of diabetes management, we are excited to be partnering with Medtronic, the largest medical device company in the world,” said Camilla Sylvest, executive vice president, Commercial Strategy & Corporate Affairs, Novo Nordisk. “We now collaborate with all major CGM device producers, which means we can bring the benefits of smart insulin pens to even more people.”

"We see incredible power in combining a variety of data points to drive insights that help people living with diabetes make more informed decisions around managing their glucose levels," said Alejandro Galindo, president of the Advanced Insulin Management division within the Diabetes Group at Medtronic. "Our new agreement with Novo Nordisk, the world’s largest producer of insulin, will streamline the sharing of two of the most important pieces of information – glucose measurements and insulin dosed. With this, Medtronic can further enhance our market-leading analytics and insights to help ease the burden of diabetes."

By integrating glucose monitoring and insulin dosing data, people with diabetes and their healthcare professionals and caregivers (with permission from the person with diabetes) will be able to automatically track these two important items in a single place, giving people living with diabetes one less thing to think about in the daily management of their condition. Further, being able to view both glucose and insulin data together can facilitate more productive conversations between people and their doctors, enabling more informed decisions on how to better manage glucose levels and increase Time in Range (TIR) - the percentage of time people with diabetes spend in the optimal glycaemic range of 70-180 mg/dL.3

Novo Nordisk expects to launch its durable smart insulin pens, NovoPen® 6 and NovoPen Echo® Plus, as well as its disposable, pre-filled injection solution starting in 2020. Once available, smart insulin pens will be compatible with both Android and iOS devices. The Guardian Connect system will be updated as well to integrate data from these Novo Nordisk smart pens.

Time in Range
Time in Range refers to the percentage of time people with diabetes spend in the optimal glycaemic range of 70-180 mg/dL. The goal with diabetes management is to increase time spent in this target range and to minimise high and low sugar levels. Poor glycaemic control can lead to both immediate and long-term complications such as damage to blood vessels - increasing the risk of coronary artery disease and stroke. Damage to blood vessels can also lead to loss of vision, kidney disease, and nerve damage.

About the Guardian Connect system
As the only CGM system with predictive alerts up to 60 minutes in advance, the Guardian Connect system is a smart CGM system that helps people with diabetes stay ahead of high and low glucose events by empowering people using multiple daily injections (MDI) to more proactively manage their diabetes with meaningful, personalised insights. Healthcare providers may access this CGM data with their patient’s permission to run robust reports that help them inform therapy decisions and improves engagement with patients.

About Novo Nordisk
Novo Nordisk is a global healthcare company with more than 95 years of innovation and leadership in diabetes care. This heritage has given us experience and capabilities that also enable us to help people defeat obesity, haemophilia, growth disorders and other serious chronic diseases. Headquartered in Denmark, Novo Nordisk employs approximately 41,600 people in 80 countries and markets its products in more than 170 countries. For more information, visit novonordisk.com, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube.

About the Diabetes Group at Medtronic (www.medtronicdiabetes.com)
Medtronic is working together with the global community to change the way people manage diabetes. The company aims to transform diabetes care by expanding access, integrating care and improving outcomes, so people living with diabetes can enjoy greater freedom and better health.

About Medtronic
Medtronic plc (www.medtronic.com), headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, is among the world's largest medical technology, services and solutions companies - alleviating pain, restoring health and extending life for millions of people around the world. Medtronic employs more than 90,000 people worldwide, serving physicians, hospitals and patients in more than 150 countries. The company is focused on collaborating with stakeholders around the world to take healthcare Further, Together.

Any forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties such as those described in Medtronic's periodic reports on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Actual results may differ materially from anticipated results. 

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1Safford MM, Russell L, Suh DC, Roman S, Pogach L. How much time do patients with diabetes spend on self-care? J Am Board Fam Pract. 2005;18:262-270.

2Iyengar V, Wolf A, Brown A, Close K. Challenges in diabetes care: can digital health help address them? Clin Diabetes. 2016;34:133-141.

3Battelino et al., Clinical Targets for Continuous Glucose Monitoring Data Interpretation: Recommendations From the International Consensus on Time in Range. Diabetes Care. 2019 Aug; 42(8): 1593-1603

Pamela Reese
Medtronic plc
Public Relations
+1-818-576-3398

Ryan Weispfenning
Medtronic plc
Investor Relations
+1-763-505-4626

Mette Kruse Danielsen
Novo Nordisk
Public Relations
+45-4442-3883

Peter Hugreffe Ankersen
Novo Nordisk
Investor Relations
+45-3075-9085

	Medtronic and Novo Nordisk

Source: Medtronic plc