Memorandum
Executive Highlights
- According to a July 9 SEC Filing, Metronom Health has raised $4.8 million from five undisclosed investors. Per a September 2013 US patent filing, the company appears to be working on an implantable CGM.
- By our count there are at least 27 companies working on CGM devices, both early and late-stage.
According to a July 9 SEC Filing, Metronom Health has raised $4.8 million from five undisclosed investors in an all equity transaction. There is scarcely anything about this company online, but per a September 2013 US patent filing, the company appears to be working on an implantable CGM. Metronom Health’s approach revolves around “a stabilized oxygen transport matrix that includes a reversible oxygen binding protein...The stabilized matrix collects oxygen, stabilizes oxygen dynamics, and rapidly transports oxygen within the matrix.” We could not find any trials posted on ClincalTrials.gov, so we assume this is still in early stages of development.
Laguna Hills, CA-based Metronom health was incorporated back in 2009. An October 2012 article notes that company Founder and CSO Troy Bremer was a former aerospace engineer that left his career to “pursue a PhD under the guidance of the world’s leading expert in glucose biosensing at UCSD” (we assume Dr. David Gough, who led the first CGM meeting we attended in San Diego back in 2002). Based on the SEC filing, the management team includes Olav Bergheim, Troy Bremer, Hugh Neuharth, Charles Chon, and Michel Lussier. Metronom Health is a portfolio company of Fjord Ventures, a VC firm with one other diabetes portfolio company: Orchest (no information online).
The list of companies working on CGM grows by the day – below, we include a non-exhaustive summary of the 27 companies we are aware of. Many are also discussed in our full report on the 2014 Tissue Response to Implanted Active Medical Devices Meeting. That small conference made it clear that beyond current percutaneous CGMs (Abbott, Dexcom, Medtronic), there are other novel approaches that may be clinically and commercially viable in the future. In the past few years, there have been significant advances in the field of biomaterials that are likely to impact the design, size, form factor, and usability of future diabetes technology. Long-term implanted glucose sensors were explored almost twenty years ago, most notably by MiniMed and Dexcom, but abandoned because of the size of the devices, poor reliability, and long development cycle times.
Summary of Early- and Late-Stage CGM Technologies in Development
- The table below represents our best knowledge of the CGM competitive landscape, both early- and late-stage. We acknowledge that the table is likely not completely comprehensive of all companies working on CGM. We’ve done our best to include the most up-to-date status of each technology, but have been unable to reach all companies in the table.
|
Company |
Product/Approach |
Status |
Recent Coverage/News |
|
Abbott |
FreeStyle Libre (previously known as “Flash Glucose Monitoring”) – this is not CGM in the traditional sense, but still uses a subcutaneous sensor to provide continuous data |
EU Launch in 2H14; EASD 2014 Symposium |
|
|
Dexcom |
-G4 Platinum |
-Available worldwide |
|
|
Medtronic |
-Enlite |
-Available worldwide |
|
|
San Meditech |
TD Integrated |
-Available in China |
|
|
Edwards/Dexcom |
GlucoClear 2 (critical care) |
CE Marked; EU evaluations ongoing |
|
|
Roche |
Needle-type sensor |
Comparison study vs. Dexcom G4 Platinum completed |
|
|
BD |
-Optical-based sensor |
Data expected in early 2015 |
|
|
Insulet/unnamed partner |
Combined CGM/OmniPod |
Insertion study completed |
|
|
Echo Therapeutics |
Symphony (critical care) |
Undertaking Gen 2 study to gather additional clinical data |
|
|
Senseonics |
Implantable CGM |
90-day study completed |
|
|
GlySens |
Implantable CGM |
Small six-month clinical study completed (n=6) |
|
|
Glucovation |
SugarSenz |
Completed testing of alpha prototypes; seeking funding; ongoing patent suit with Dexcom |
Glucovation fundraising page shares detail on company and approach |
|
Google/Novartis |
Smart contact lens |
Prototype for testing by Spring 2015; commercial launch within five years |
|
|
Apple |
Smartwatch with glucose monitoring? (speculated) |
Slated to launch in fall 2014 |
|
|
Microsoft |
Smartwatch with glucose monitoring? (speculated) |
Slated to launch in fall 2014 |
|
|
Profusa |
Tissue-integrating implantable CGM |
Data expected in 2015 |
|
|
Biorasis |
Sensor coated with microspheres that release dexamethasone (inhibits the foreign body response)
|
Startup acquired intellectual property from University of Connecticut |
|
|
Cal Tech (Supported in part by Sanofi)
|
Miniaturized fully implanted CGM |
In pre-clinical studies |
|
|
EyeSense |
Percutaneous optical fiber CGM
|
Ten-patient study reported at ADA 2013 |
|
|
Metronom Health |
Implantable CGM |
??? |
Enclosed |
|
Sano Intelligence |
Wearable sensor to capture and transmit blood chemistry data
|
??? |
|
|
Pacific Diabetes Technologies |
Single-site CGM/insulin infusion |
Preclinical study presented at ADA 2014 |
ADA 2014 ePoster (69-LB) |
|
iSense (formerly owned by Bayer) |
Seven-day subcutaneous CGM |
Last mentioned in Bayer symposium at ATTD 2011
|
|
|
GlySure |
Bedside CGM for ICU |
Nearing CE Mark as of January 2014 |
|
|
OptiScan |
Bedside CGM for ICU |
CE Marked in 2011 |
|
|
Maquet |
Microdialysis (critical care) |
Study published in DT&T 2013 |
|
|
A. Menarini Diagnostics |
Microdialysis (in-hospital) |
??? |
|
Close Concerns Questions
Q: Will implantable CGM come to market?
Q: What length of implantation will be necessary to encourage patients to use implanted CGM?
Q: How will the regulatory requirements for implantable CGM differ from those used for subcutaneous CGM? What study length will be required?
-- by Adam Brown and Kelly Close