Bigfoot Biomedical inks deal with Pittsburgh health system

Bigfoot Biomedical today announced an agreement with Pittsburgh-based Allegheny Health Network (AHN) to further develop Bigfoot’s Unity investigational insulin delivery wireless platform.

The diabetes startup described Unity as a first-in-kind, data-driven solution for optimizing insulin dosing and delivery. Bigfoot will work alongside AHN endocrinologists and primary care doctors to refine Unity’s clinical workflow features.

“We understand the urgent need to bring solutions to payers and health systems that will fit into their healthcare environments and be usable by a variety of healthcare providers,” said Bigfoot CEO Jeffrey Brewer in a news release. “In AHN and (parent company) Highmark Health, we’ve found a forward-thinking partner with whom we can collaborate to ensure that the solutions we’re developing help the majority of people for whom advanced technologies are often inaccessible, and the providers and payer networks who are supporting them.”

The AHN Center for Diabetes and Endocrine Health uses the relationships among primary care and specialist providers, technology and community-based services to improve outcomes and reduce the burden on patients.

AHN medical director Dr. Patricia Bononi said that partnering with innovators such as Bigfoot Biomedical is in line with AHN’s efforts to transform care for chronic diseases.

“Despite the pervasiveness of diabetes, patients have long faced a multitude of challenges in managing their condition, including the lack of user-friendly, safe, and cost-effective tools,”  Bononi said. “We are extremely pleased to partner with Bigfoot Biomedical as they work to deliver cutting-edge yet simple solutions which have the potential to make a significant impact on the millions of people who live with the disease.”

This partnership marks the latest in a series of collaborations Milpitas, Calif.-based Bigfoot Biomedical has made as it aims to launch its first two insulin delivery systems – Bigfoot Inject and Bigfoot Loop – in 2020. In January, Bigfoot inked a non-exclusive deal with Eli Lilly (NYSE:LLY) to integrate Eli Lilly’s insulin products into Bigfoot’s investigational insulin delivery devices.

Bigfoot reached a commercial supply agreement for pen needles with Owen Mumford in February and inked a deal with Abbott in 2017 to integrate Abbott’s FreeStyle Libre glucose monitoring tech with Bigfoot’s connected pen and pump-based systems.