Biocon And Voluntis Deal Aims To Personalize Treatment For Type 2 Diabetic Patients On Insulin, Says GlobalData

Biocon Sdn. Bhd., Malaysia, a subsidiary of Biocon Biologics, and digital therapeutics company Voluntis have recently announced a global collaboration agreement to develop and distribute FDA-cleared and CE-marked digital therapeutic product ‘Insulia’ for type 2 diabetes (T2D) patients across several markets. The deal will make Insulia available to a large number of Biocon’s biosimilar insulin users, and in the process, help transform personalized care in T2D, says GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.

According to GlobalData’s ‘Digital Therapeutics and Their Impact on Healthcare’ report, there are four digital therapeutics available in the market that are approved by regulatory authorities for T2D management—WellDoc’s Blue Star (FDA-approved), Voluntis’ Insulia (FDA-approved and CE-marked), Diabeo (CE-marked) and Omada Health’s Omada (Diabetes Prevention Recognition Program accreditation by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).

Voluntis’ Insulia is a prescription-only software medical device available on the web and on mobile app platforms, and is intended for use by healthcare professionals (HCPs) and their T2D patients to support insulin titration for long-acting insulin analogs, such as Sanofi’s Lantus and Toujeo (insulin glargine), Eli Lilly’s Basaglar (insulin glargine), Novo Nordisk’s Levemir (insulin detemir) and Tresiba (U-100) (insulin degludec). Biocon plans to create a comprehensive digital therapeutics portfolio for T2D patients by extending Insulia’s reach to its complete range of insulin products – such as insulin glargine (Semglee), insulin aspart and recombinant human insulin (rh insulin).

Venkat Kartheek Vale, Pharma Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “Biocon aims to transform T2D patient lives by creating universal access to high-quality insulins at low-costs, while also pairing its products with technologies that personalize treatment. The combination of affordable pricing with Voluntis’ digital therapeutic capabilities will help drive a paradigm shift in T2D management.”

The retail list price of insulin in the US is more than $5 per day or more. As a fully integrated, pure-play biosimilars organization, Biocon wants to provide affordable access to its rh insulin at less than 10 cents per day in low- and middle-income countries, which contribute to 80% of the global diabetes burden.

Vale concludes: “T2D is an increasingly prevalent chronic disease that places an enormous burden on healthcare systems, exacerbated by resulting T2D-related complications, including cardiovascular and renal comorbidities. Digital therapeutic products, such as Insulia, have the potential to address some of these problems by facilitating remote patient management and personalized treatment through high-quality, safe, and effective data-driven interventions. Since digital therapeutics market is driven by an increased emphasis on cost-effective healthcare, Biocon and Voluntis can derive maximum benefit from this agreement and expand their businesses further.”