MannKind combines inhaled insulin with One Drop’s digital diabetes tech

MannKind Corp. (NSDQ:MNKD) and One Drop said today that the group launched its A-One trial evaluating MannKind’s inhaled insulin, Afrezza, for use with One Drop’s digital diabetes management platform.

The companies reported that they are enrolling people with Type II diabetes and randomizing them in two treatment arms. One group of patients will use Afrezza with One Drop Premium and the other group will use just One Drop Premium. Researchers plan to measure changes in hemoglobin A1C, quality of life, self-care and treatment satisfaction.

One Drop’s premium platform includes a mobile app, a glucose monitor and test strips, as well as a coaching service for patients with diabetes.

“This study is intended to evaluate whether combining a solutions-oriented digital disease management platform like One Drop with an innovative drug like Afrezza will provide patients with an improved ability to manage their diabetes,” MannKind’s chief medical officer Dr. Raymond Urbanski said in prepared remarks.

“One Drop is a unique, fully integrated solution with the prospects of a huge health benefit,” Dr. Chandra Osborn, VP of health and behavioral informatics at One Drop, added. “We know each piece of the puzzle works, and now we want to see how well they work together. With 9 peer-reviewed outcomes shared at medical meetings and a paper in press at JMIR Diabetes, One Drop is committed to delivering the most effective diabetes management solution in the market. The combination of One Drop with inhaled insulin could offer consumers, health care providers, and payers a potentially powerful solution with unprecedented benefits.”

“Diabetes technology is evolving in a very exciting way,” Jeff Dachis, CEO and founder of One Drop, said. “But not surprisingly for the vast majority of people with diabetes worldwide, expensive sensors, automated insulin delivery solutions, or call center approaches to care can create barriers and challenges to effective disease management. However, we are excited to evaluate whether a completely integrated digital diabetes therapeutics platform — encompassing evidence-based interventions, ADA-recognized diabetes education and coaching, wireless blood glucose tracking, user-centered design, robust data science, and an innovative pharmaceutical product like MannKind’s Afrezza — can deliver improved health outcomes at a fraction of the cost of current standards of care.”

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