Animas Corporation and LifeScan, Inc., both members of the Johnson & Johnson Family of Diabetes Companies, today announced plans to further build upon their existing collaborative efforts to co-develop and market innovative new products and tools for people living with diabetes. The increased collaboration also will include more closely aligning their commercial organizations to actively co-promote their product offerings, such as the OneTouch® Ping® Glucose Management System. Animas and LifeScan will work closely to bring people with diabetes and their healthcare professionals the tools they need to better manage a disease that affects more than 285 million people across the globe.

Animas and LifeScan began their relationship with a joint development project that started even before Johnson & Johnson acquired Animas five years ago. The two companies joined forces to co-develop the OneTouch® Ping® Glucose Management System, the first full-feature insulin pump that wirelessly communicates with a blood glucose meter-remote. The pump includes many unique capabilities, and with the OneTouch® Ping® meter-remote, a person can check blood glucose levels, calculate insulin doses, and opt to wirelessly instruct the pump to deliver insulin without touching the pump at all, giving patients more freedom and flexibility.

"Our collective innovation and product pipeline is the strongest it has been in a decade," said Michel Paul, Company Group Chairman, Johnson & Johnson Family of Diabetes Companies. "Through closer alignment, we will unleash the power and strength of our two companies and the overarching Johnson & Johnson Family of Diabetes Companies. Together, we will work to advance care for people with diabetes, as well as education and research for families and healthcare professionals, to ultimately enable diabetes patients to maintain better blood glucose control."

Current pipeline products in development include:

- New Glucose Monitoring Platform: LifeScan has received FDA 510(k) clearance of its OneTouch® Verio® Meter and Test Strip platform, paving the way for a new portfolio of self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) products in the U.S. The OneTouch® Verio® platform is an accurate, easy-to-use system that does not require coding. Products based on this platform are already being marketed in Europe and Australia, and a family of products tailored for the needs of patients and their healthcare professionals are in development in North America.

-Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM)-Enabled Insulin Pump: Animas is partnering with DexCom, Inc. to develop a CGM-enabled insulin pump and CGM system, which integrates a DexCom continuous glucose monitoring sensor with an Animas insulin pump. The system has been filed for CE Mark approval in Europe.

- Artificial Pancreas Project: The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and Animas formed an innovative partnership in January 2010 to develop one of the most revolutionary advancements in treating type 1 diabetes: an artificial pancreas, an automated system to dispense insulin to patients based on changes in glucose levels. Clinical trials investigating the artificial pancreas system in humans are expected to begin later this year.

Four companies within the Johnson & Johnson Family of Diabetes Companies share the common goal of providing professional and community education, advanced products and services, and advocacy and support to people living with diabetes and their families. These companies include: LifeScan, Inc., a world leader in blood glucose monitoring; Animas Corporation, a leader in patient-centered pump therapy tools; Children with Diabetes, Inc., a community offering support and education for children, adults and their families living with diabetes; and the Johnson & Johnson Diabetes Institute, LLC, a global initiative to improve care and better outcomes worldwide through product training and educational programs.

Source:
Animas Corporation
LifeScan, Inc.