Bigfoot Biomedical signs development agreement with Dexcom – June 3, 2015

This evening, Bigfoot Biomedical announced a development agreement with Dexcom to integrate CGM data into its future automated insulin delivery system. This was not a surprise (Medtronic was always an unlikely partner!), though it again signals the Bigfoot team wasting no time whatsoever following the acquisition of Asante’s pump technology just last week! The announcement is light on detail, but mentions that CGM data will travel seamlessly from the Dexcom transmitter into the Bigfoot system – we can only assume this would be Gen 5, given an expected approval by the end of this year, and Bigfoot’s plan to be in a pivotal trial by the end of next year. Now, the Bigfoot product is really starting to take shape – a Gen 5 Dexcom transmitter sending CGM data to a custom built Bigfoot controller married to the Asante disposable insulin pump body. One thing we’re not sure about is if Bigfoot will pursue a Novolog version of the Asante pump; right now, the Snap is only cleared and designed for Humalog pre-filled cartridges – presumably this would be a goal even if only for the formulary reason alone (some formularies dictate Novolog over Humalog and Apidra and Afrezza). It was very notable to see Dexcom EVP Steve Pacelli’s quote in the press release: “Bigfoot has made a commitment to automated insulin control based on CGM data, and Dexcom is excited to participate in their development efforts with our sensor technology.” What a statement! From what we can recall, Dexcom has not ever used this much enthusiasm publicly about another pump partner’s artificial pancreas work  (Animas, Insulet, Tandem – albeit all are still very early). We continue to be impressed at the speed at which the Bigfoot team is moving and with their leadership team – for more, see our coverage of the Asante acquisition last week and our February interview that broke the identity of Bigfoot and how the organization was established.