Lilly, Medtronic form diabetes partnership

J.K. Wall, The IBJ

jwall@ibj.com

Indianapolis pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly and Co. has formed a diabetes marketing and education partnership with the Minnesota-based device maker Medtronic Inc., the two companies announced today.

Lilly and Medtronic plan to use their marketing and sales teams to improve educational materials about Type 1 diabetes available to patients and physicians. Type 1 diabetes occurs in people whose bodies do not produce insulin, the hormone that converts blood sugar into energy.

Lilly has sold insulin since 1923, including its current product Humalog, which is a biotech compound made to be identical to naturally produced human insulin. The product recorded worldwide sales last year of $1.7 billion.

Medtronic makes the insulin pumps used by many Type 1 diabetes patients. It also makes continuous glucose monitoring devices.

"By joining forces, we will help make insulin therapy more achievable by offering new educational materials and resources that help make insulin pump therapy fit into patients' lives," said Matt Beebe, Lilly's U.S. diabetes brand leader, in a statement.