Insulet Corp., a medical device company based in Bedford, will develop a pump specifically designed to deliver a concentrated form of insulin made by Eli Lilly and Co. for diabetics who need the drug in high doses, the two companies said Thursday.
Insulet makes a tubeless insulin pump known as the OmniPod Insulin Management System. The OmniPod is a small pump about half the size of a hard-boiled egg. Diabetics wear the pump, which uses an adhesive to stick to such places as shoulder blades and the side of the stomach. According to Insulet, the OmniPod system, is lighter, more convenient, and more effective for patients than earlier-generation insulin pumps.
As the incidence of severe insulin resistance continues to rise, more and more people with type 2 diabetes are requiring significantly higher doses of insulin in order to control their blood glucose, Insulet and Eli Lilly said in their press release. It was for this group of patients that Eli Lilly developed Humulin R U-500, a concentrated form of insulin.
Under Thursday’s agreement, Insulet will develop a new version of the OmniPod that is specifically designed to for use with Humulin R U-500.