CC - Novo Nordisk and Roche launch NovoRapid PumpCart with Accu-Chek Insight compatibility –
Yesterday, Novo Nordisk announced the EU launch of its NovoRapid PumpCart, a 1.6 mL prefilled insulin pump cartridge containing the rapid-acting insulin NovoRapid (insulin aspart). The product was made available in the UK, Sweden, and Austria and will be launched in additional EU markets throughout 2015. As background, the PumpCart was developed in a non-exclusive partnership with Roche and is compatible with the Accu-Chek Insight insulin pump therapy system (next-generation insulin pump and BGM remote). As of yesterday, the Insight was also made available in the UK (it has already launched in Austria in January 2014) with other EU markets scheduled for 2015 and 2016. The launch comes almost exactly one year after the product received the EU’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use positive opinion in November 2013; management did not comment on the source of the delay. The timeline for an FDA submission of the PumpCart remains unknown, though we wonder if Novo Nordisk will file the device when Roche submits the Accu-Chek Insight pump stateside – slated for 2014 per Roche’s 1Q14 financial update, (however, we have not since heard an update and are fearful the timeline has been shifted back). The system is currently the only insulin pump with prefilled cartridges on the international market, although it would be the second in the US (following Asante’s Snap insulin pump, FDA-cleared for use with Lilly’s 300-unit Humalog cartridges, though Novolog cartridges are in the pipeline). We see the launch as a win for patients, since reservoir changes tend to take up the most time when changing out an infusion set. Reducing barriers and hassle is key in the insulin pump business, especially considering how much room there is for expansion.