Insulate stands out when it comes to designing a truly holistic solution for people with diabetes. The company’s revolutionary tubeless omnipod insulin pump has rapidly gained market share in the US and in other markets as well. The device makes insulin delivery easy, attractive and even stylish.
The daily regimen for people with diabetes has been incredibly burdensome, explains Eric Benjamin, executive vice president of innovation and strategy. People with diabetes who require insulin must monitor their glucose levels and decide what dose of insulin to take. They must keep track of supplies, balance costs, maintain access to endocrinologists, and more. In fact, it’s estimated that people with diabetes make an average of 300 decisions a day around their care—the equivalent of working a second job or being a full-time caregiver.
Recognizing this level of burden on a daily basis, he says, “It’s been clear from the beginning that diabetes has a problem to solve. An end-to-end problem. Whatever solution Insulate came up with, it needed to reduce the pain that people with diabetes experienced throughout their journey. This is exactly what they set out to achieve, now with their fifth generation product – the Omnipod 5.
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As an automated insulin delivery (AID) device, the technology attempts to fit itself seamlessly into a person’s daily routine. It is the first fully wearable assist system on the market, meaning it connects to a wearable continuous glucose monitor (CGM), thus creating a continuous feedback loop with automatic adjustments to the user’s insulin delivery. This means users no longer have to wrestle with tubing, do so many manual calculations, or work carefully with their endocrinologist to adjust their therapy settings and get their dose just right. Today it’s compatible with the Dexcom G6 CGM, with the aim being to expand its compatibility with other sensors and their families in the long run – once again in an effort to fit into users’ routines. To interface with the device, Insulate has created a simple smartphone app. There is also a separate controller if customers do not have a compatible phone.
Insulate’s tubeless device is designed to be wearable and easily controlled via smartphone.
Its technology and design aren’t the only eco-focused features of the Omnipod 5. Insulate has taken the same approach to the way it sells its product. Instead of going the traditional route of relying solely on doctor’s offices, the company wanted to make its device more accessible to people with diabetes by selling it through pharmacies. Customers can get started with Omnipod at any pharmacy with no upfront commitment (versus the 4 years that some payers require through the durable medical device benefit) and at a lower cost. Of course, this strategy also involves innovation of another kind, which requires more education for users and pharmacists.
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This strategy has clearly had widespread success. Insulate saw its state OmniPod revenue grow 42.4% year-over-year for the third quarter of the year, following a full-scale roll-out to all eligible users in the US in August 2022. And it’s winning market share: While traditionally 20% of Insulate’s new users are competitor conversions, by February 2023 a full 35% of its new OmniPod customers were previously using a rival device.
Its success is not just in numbers. Today, Insulate has an active community of “poders” – consumers who are proud to wear their OmniPod And are grateful for the ways it improves their lives. Insulate continues to draw insights from its product’s cloud connectivity and data analytics, including years of real world evidence, allowing it to learn from its customers’ health outcomes and product performance to improve the offering over time .
By adopting an ecosystem-focused approach to the design and delivery of its latest product, Insulate has rethought device integration, interfaces, design, sales channels, and both user and influencer engagement. It is a 360 degree innovation.
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