The pharma giant described Tempo as its first connected platform. It includes three components: the Tempo Smart Button, a compatible TempSmart app, and the prefilled Tempo Pen insulin pen. The goal is personalized guidance for adults with diabetes.
Lilly plans a phased rollout for the platform to select clinics starting later this year, followed by national availability targeted for 2023.
In the EU, the Tempo Smart Button won a CE mark on August 10. Lilly plans to begin small-scale pilots in selected European countries through partnerships with existing diabetes management ecosystems.
Lilly isn’t the first company with a smart insulin pen cap. For example, Bigfoot Biomedical launched its Bigfoot Unity system last year. Integrated with Abbott’s FreeStyle Libre 2 CGM sensor, Bigfoot Unity includes a smart insulin pen cap that takes data from a CGM and informs the patient of exactly how much insulin they need.
The FDA cleared Eli Lilly’s Smart Button in September. Welldoc helped Lilly design the compatible app, which is an iteration of Welldoc’s BlueStar diabetes management app.
There is also the Tempo Insights clinical hub, where healthcare providers can track their patients’ progress and access their data.
“Lilly has over a century of knowledge of insulin and its complexities, and recognizes the emotional impact of managing diabetes,” said Kevin Cammack, head of Connected Care at Lilly Diabetes. “Launching this platform is an opportunity for us to more broadly support those who rely on our insulins.”
How Eli Lilly’s Tempo system works
Lilly received approvals for its Tempo Pen — its reusable, disposable insulin pen — in 2019 and 2020. The Tempo Smart Button is reusable and attaches to the top of the Tempo Pen. The smart button uses a Bluetooth connection to detect, store and transfer insulin dose-related data to the TempoSmart app. After that, TempoSmart records the insulin dose information and enables data sharing between the insulin pen users and their healthcare providers who treat them.
TempoSmart provides medication reminders, personalized education resources and feedback on blood glucose levels. In addition, it integrates with Dexcom continuous glucose monitoring systems via a secondary display. It can also integrate with the Tempo blood glucose monitor and other compatible BGMs. On top of that, users can sync TempoSmart with their Fitbit, Garm and Google Fit wearables — plus the Apple Health app.
“Despite technological advancements, people continue to experience challenges with the complexities of insulin dosing,” Cammack said. “Using the learnings from early adopters of Tempo, we look forward to continually innovating our technology to aid those who use Lilly insulins to manage their diabetes.”
