Pocket Clinic’s “Patch Pump” Simplifies Insulin Delivery with First 7-Day Patch
Amir Omidvar, PhD, isn't your typical entrepreneur. A tinkerer since childhood, Dr. Omidvar has spent years learning how micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) can improve lives. Now, with his first-of-its-kind insulin “patch pump” he’s on the verge of removing the burden of daily insulin injections and revolutionizing how people maintain their blood sugar levels.
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The Challenge
More than 537 million people worldwide live with diabetes, and millions of them rely on daily injections of insulin to survive. These injections come with a significant burden. There is the pain and discomfort of constant needle pricks, which become a source of anxiety, especially for young children. Studies show a significant portion of patients skip or delay injections due to needle phobia. There’s the inconvenience and disruption of managing multiple daily injections, which requires meticulous planning. According to one study out of Stanford, people with diabetes have to make 180 more decisions per day, compared with someone without the condition. If that weren’t hard enough, traditional insulin injections are a financial strain, which creates a well-documented access gap in effective diabetes management.
While some people with diabetes have benefited from modern insulin pumps, which adhere to your arm and deliver insulin when you need it, the majority still rely on daily injections. “We have been treating diabetes the same way since 1922,” says Amir Omidvar, PhD, founder of Pocket Clinic. “Although insulin is a lifesaver, it is not an easy drug to administer and causes overdose or underdose due to poor management and cost.”
Omidvar, a life-long inventor, looked around at multiple family members reliant on daily injections to manage chronic diseases and knew there had to be a better way.
Origin Story
Amir Omidvar, PhD, who was born in Iran and immigrated to Canada, watched as his grandmother was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes and became insulin-dependent. He can distinctly remember how challenging it was for his mother and aunts to handle her insulin injections multiple times a day.
“It was really painful for them as well to inject and see the suffering because they needed to measure the glucose several times a day,” he says. “And they worried about how to manage her glucose when she was asleep. Insulin is really tricky.”
After his grandmother's passing, Omidvar’s father was also diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. Due to his inadequate management of the condition, he eventually became dependent on insulin as well.
Fueled by a desire to make a difference for his family and millions like them, Amir began envisioning a device that could discreetly and comfortably deliver medications like insulin while being financially accessible.
Omidvar’s academic work in Toronto proved to be a crucial piece of the puzzle. He studied micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS), an innovative technology that uses microneedles to deliver drugs through a painless patch.
Through his PhD project, Omidvar developed the device, the algorithms, and the real-time data monitoring needed to use a MEMS device to deliver insulin effectively and affordably. As a serial medical device inventor, he’d also built up the manufacturing know-how necessary to bring a MEMS device to market. All that remained was to formalize a company – now called Pocket Clinic – and bring his innovation to the people.
Under the Hood
The Pocket Clinic "patch pump" represents a significant advancement in diabetes management, combining the benefits of traditional insulin injections and modern pumps while introducing distinct advantages. As the first insulin patch pump capable of delivering microdosing insulin for a full seven days, it dramatically extends the operational duration compared to today's pumps, which typically last two to three days. This extension to seven days not only enhances user convenience by reducing the frequency of device changes and needle insertions but also ensures consistent insulin delivery.
The extended wearability helps maintain stable blood glucose levels, reduces the mental burden, minimizes human error associated with frequent device management, and lowers healthcare costs by decreasing the need for frequent replacements and clinical visits. Additionally, the Pocket Clinic Smart Injector collects valuable data that can be used to optimize treatment plans. Overall, this patch pump significantly improves the quality of life for insulin-dependent patients by making diabetes management more efficient and less intrusive.
The Pocket Clinic is also unique in its ability to be a pharma-agnostic platform. The patch pump consists of two parts: The main pod is durable, rechargeable, secure, and reliable. The second part is a disposable cartridge with different capacities. That means that Pocket Clinic can build on its MEMS infrastructure to treat additional chronic illnesses in the future.
The Pocket Clinic "patch pump" is an innovative, compact solution that integrates an insulin pump and continuous glucose monitoring system. Utilizing advanced microneedle technology, this small and responsive patch efficiently administers insulin while continuously monitoring blood glucose levels. It features smart technology that automatically adjusts insulin delivery based on real-time blood sugar data, significantly simplifying diabetes management. This capability helps prevent dangerous fluctuations in blood sugar levels, enhancing both safety and ease of use.
In the pipeline is the next generation of the Smart Injector, which promises to further enhance the functionality and integration of this system, making diabetes care even more seamless and less intrusive for insulin-dependent patients. Overall, the Pocket Clinic patch represents a significant leap forward in making diabetes care more manageable and less intrusive.
Pocket Clinic’s go-to-market strategy is built on currently available billing codes, making it easy for clinicians to recommend the device. Omidvar’s plan is to partner with clinics and hospitals and increase access to their technology through insurance and public health programs.
What’s Next
Amir Omidvar’s childhood experience wasn’t unique. Millions of people watch their relatives suffer from diabetes and the financial and physical burden of insulin injections. What made Omidvar unique, and set him up for success with Pocket Clinic, is his obsession with solving big problems, his deep domain expertise in micro-electromechanical systems, and his ability to execute the manufacturing of a complex medical device.
Interestingly, while Omidvar is specially targeting the insulin injection market, which is the majority of people dependent on insulin, his patch pump is also taking aim at the insulin pump market. Their patented seven-day patch has the potential to revolutionize the entire landscape of insulin delivery, widening the potential market and vastly expanding their impact.
For all of these reasons, we’re bullish on Amir Omidvar, PhD, and the Pocket Clinic team and are excited to have them as part of our Type 1 Diabetes Moonshot Community as they bring their patch to market. And then, to see how they can build on this platform technology to deliver medication to more chronic disease patients in a way that is easy, painless, and affordable.
“In the end, people with diabetes don’t choose their disease,” says Omidvar. “Don’t they deserve to choose their treatment?”
Connect with Pocket Clinic via email
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Published: May 17, 2024