LIVINGLIVING ADVERTORIAL
MEDTRUM MOVES IN
Diabetes technology company Medtrum has been in the
process of setting up a base in the UK for the past two years.
Although small, there has been significant investment to bring
its TouchCare solutions to our shores.
M
edtrum now has
an infrastructure
in place in the
UK, along with
a supply chain
having fulfilled all legal requirements for its
range of diabetes management products,
with staff in place so that it's ready to start
making a stir in the diabetes technology
arena. Medtrum's aim is to bring high
quality technological solutions to the
diabetes population at an affordable price,
both for the NHS and for those who pay
for their own glucose sensors.
Medtrum was founded in 2008 by two
engineers with experience of working the
giant electronics manufacturer Siemens.
Having received venture capital, Medtrum
invested in a manufacturing base in
Shanghai, hiring specialist engineers to
create different elements that go into
the products. The company's portfolio
is called the A6 Touchcare platform. It
consists of three options that a patient
can pick and choose from, or if they wish,
use them all as an end-to-end, seamless
approach to diabetes management.
Speaking on behalf of the company,
UK Business Manager Spencer Martin
says, "We are continuing to add more
educators to our team in order to reach
both healthcare professionals (HCPs) and
people with diabetes. Our story is relatively
unique as we supply both an insulin patch
pump as well as a CGM sensor. The
person with diabetes might need one,
or the other, or both. Medtrum's name is
understandably unfamiliar, so we have our
work cut out for us, but the feedback we
have been getting from both HCPs and
users is that our solutions are easy to use
and intuitive. Those who have been able
to self-fund CGM sensors are finding ours
to be more affordable than other options
currently available."
Set to grow
The A6 TouchCare system received a CE
mark in 2014, and the UK office was the
first to be initiated in Europe. Since then,
offices have opened in Germany, France
and Sweden, and the company now has
representatives in Finland and Denmark
too. The system is available via a third
party distributor in Italy, and another
similar arrangement is being set up in the
Netherlands.
Says Martin, "We believe that Europe
is ready for the uptake of this technology,
and we intend to prove that we have a
great product here in Europe before
taking this diabetes management solution
into the US. As no part of the Medtrum
manufacturing process is farmed out to
another party, which means that we can
keep control of costs as well as quality.
"As these are competitive prices
for this technology, a less off-putting
cost, it should help increase access to
CGM, which is a fabulous technology
for assisting people with diabetes to
control their condition. Our patch pump
technology gives even more freedom as
there is no tubing and has a rechargeable
pump base, which helps keep costs
down and has a lower ecological foot
print too. When using the A6 TouchCare
system - using both the insulin patch
pump and CGM sensor - the pump
can be programmed to predict probable
low blood glucose events (hypos), and
suspend the delivery of insulin for a
specified period, which should mean that
hypos can be avoided."
The A6 TouchCare system comes
complete with sophisticated apps for
use by people with diabetes as well as
a comprehensive website, which carries
tutorial videos on aspects of the pump and
sensor, such as inserting a sensor. There
are also additional support systems for
HCPs, including a 'follow' app, available
both on android and iOS.
The company's customer service
includes a 24/7 technical helpline and
includes a pump replacement service,
should that ever be needed, committing
to replacing a pump within 24 hours.
TM
01932-883638