From Blood Sugar Measurement to Insulin Injection... Diabetes Management Enters the 'Digital' Era

Digital services utilizing medical devices are being launched for diabetes patients who require essential blood sugar management.

[Image provided by Pixabay]

‘Diacon P8,’ released by Huons on the 11th, is the first electric smart insulin pen in Korea. Diabetes patients have reduced ability to produce insulin, a hormone that regulates blood sugar, and therefore need to regularly administer insulin injections. This product features a built-in bolus calculator that accurately calculates and administers the insulin required for the patient. The bolus calculator functions to calculate the insulin dosage needed for situations where the patient's blood sugar rises, such as during meals.

Another feature highlighted by this product is the diabetes management platform. Through a smartphone application linked to the insulin pen, patients can check their recent blood sugar levels and active insulin status in real time. Separate apps are also provided for caregivers and medical staff. Caregivers can monitor the patient's condition in real time, and medical professionals can utilize data such as insulin injection amounts and blood sugar trends for patient care.

Huons explains that using the insulin pen together with a Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM) can produce a synergistic effect. A CGM is a device attached to the body that allows users to check their blood sugar levels in real time via devices like smartphones. The method involves measuring blood sugar in real time through the CGM and using the insulin pen when insulin administration is necessary. Huons distributes the American Dexcom CGM, ‘Dexcom G6,’ domestically.

Smart insulin pen 'Diacon P8'.
Photo by Huons

CGMs also support patients' blood sugar management by providing dedicated apps for real-time blood sugar monitoring. In addition to Dexcom G6, companies such as Abbott (FreeStyle Libre) and Medtronic (Guardian 4) have entered the domestic CGM market. The Korean company i-SENS also launched the first domestically produced CGM, ‘CareSens Air,’ last September. All these products use sensors attached to the body linked with smartphones to check blood sugar levels, reading the user's blood sugar values from the sensor via dedicated apps. Although there are detailed differences in the functions provided by each company's app, most apps offer features such as real-time blood sugar monitoring, hypoglycemia alerts, daily blood sugar analysis, and activity-specific blood sugar records.

Healthcare services emphasizing diabetes management as a key function are also set to be launched. Kakao Healthcare plans to release a healthcare service called ‘PASTA’ in February next year, featuring diabetes care functions. PASTA will be equipped with functions to check and analyze users' blood sugar levels in real time by linking with CGMs or insulin pens. To this end, Kakao Healthcare has signed business agreements with CGM companies i-SENS and Dexcom, as well as Novo Nordisk, which possesses smart sensor technology integrated with insulin pens. Kakao Healthcare plans to offer the PASTA service free of charge to users who own CGMs or sensors from these companies.

The CGM market size is showing growth every year. According to the global market research firm Research and Markets, the global CGM market is expected to grow from $4.6 billion (approximately 6.05 trillion KRW) in 2019 to over $31.1 billion (approximately 40.94 trillion KRW) by 2026. The compound annual growth rate (CAGR) during this period is projected to be 27.3%.

Continuous Glucose Monitors (CGM) distributed domestically: 'Dexcom G6', 'FreeStyle Libre', 'CareSens Air' (from left).
[Photo by each company]

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.