French drugmaker Sanofi and US pharma and medical devices company Abbott Laboratories have teamed up to integrate glucose sensing and insulin delivery technologies, with the aim of further simplifying the management of diabetes.

“By partnering with Abbott, we are a step closer to realizing our connected ecosystem, which would help improve control and the quality of life decision cycle for patients through individualized glycemic management of diabetes,” said Gustavo Pesquin, Sanofi’s senior vice president global diabetes and cardiovascular franchise.

The companies will develop tools that combine Abbott’s FreeStyle Libre technology with Sanofi’s insulin dosing information for future smart pens, insulin titration apps and cloud software.

The non-exclusive collaboration will initially enable data sharing, which will enable both people with diabetes and their doctors to make better informed treatment decisions around medication, nutrition and lifestyle.

Sanofi is currently working to provide connected pens, apps and cloud software that will be compatible with the FreeStyle Libre system and its compatible digital health tools. The companies aim to make the technologies available to diabetes patients within the next few years, pending regulatory approvals.

This is the third tie-up for Abbott on diabetes management. It first announced a collaboration in July 2017 to integrate FreeStyle Libre with Bigfoot Biomedical’s insulin delivery solutions in the US. This was followed by a deal in February 2019 with Novo Nordisk to do the same with the Danish company’s connected insulin pens.

Jared Watkin, senior vice president, diabetes care at Abbott, commented: “Diabetes can be overwhelming as it is an information-rich condition with various streams of data from multiple devices. Building a digital ecosystem around FreeStyle Libre simplifies the user experience by consolidating how people get their data – both through offering Abbott’s digital health tools and by working with other diabetes and technology leaders.”

According to a report by India’s Polaris Market Research, the global continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) market is predicted to expand at a compound annual growth rate of 15.8% between 2019 and 2025, when it will be worth around $1.3 billion. It said the major driver of growth is the rising incidence and awareness of diabetes around the world.