Animas and LifeScan Strengthen Strategic Focus to Better Serve People Living with Diabetes

WEST CHESTER, Pa., May 11, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Animas Corporation and LifeScan, Inc., both members of the Johnson & Johnson Family of Diabetes Companies, today announced plans to further build upon their existing collaborative efforts to co-develop and market innovative new products and tools for people living with diabetes.  The increased collaboration also will include more closely aligning their commercial organizations to actively co-promote their product offerings, such as the OneTouch® Ping® Glucose Management System. Animas and LifeScan will work closely to bring people with diabetes and their healthcare professionals the tools they need to better manage a disease that affects more than 285 million people across the globe.

Animas and LifeScan began their relationship with a joint development project that started even before Johnson & Johnson acquired Animas five years ago. The two companies joined forces to co-develop the OneTouch® Ping® Glucose Management System, the first full-feature insulin pump that wirelessly communicates with a blood glucose meter-remote. The pump includes many unique capabilities, and with the OneTouch® Ping® meter-remote, a person can check blood glucose levels, calculate insulin doses, and opt to wirelessly instruct the pump to deliver insulin without touching the pump at all, giving patients more freedom and flexibility.

"Our collective innovation and product pipeline is the strongest it has been in a decade," said Michel Paul, Company Group Chairman, Johnson & Johnson Family of Diabetes Companies. "Through closer alignment, we will unleash the power and strength of our two companies and the overarching Johnson & Johnson Family of Diabetes Companies. Together, we will work to advance care for people with diabetes, as well as education and research for families and healthcare professionals, to ultimately enable diabetes patients to maintain better blood glucose control."

Current pipeline products in development include:

• New Glucose Monitoring Platform:  LifeScan has received FDA 510(k) clearance of its OneTouch® Verio® Meter and Test Strip platform, paving the way for a new portfolio of self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) products in the U.S.  The OneTouch® Verio® platform is an accurate, easy-to-use system that does not require coding. Products based on this platform are already being marketed in Europe and Australia, and a family of products tailored for the needs of patients and their healthcare professionals are in development in North America.

• Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM)-Enabled Insulin Pump: Animas is partnering with DexCom, Inc. to develop a CGM-enabled insulin pump and CGM system, which integrates a DexCom continuous glucose monitoring sensor with an Animas insulin pump. The system has been filed for CE Mark approval in Europe.

• Artificial Pancreas Project: The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and Animas formed an innovative partnership in January 2010 to develop one of the most revolutionary advancements in treating type 1 diabetes: an artificial pancreas, an automated system to dispense insulin to patients based on changes in glucose levels.  Clinical trials investigating the artificial pancreas system in humans are expected to begin later this year. 

Four companies within the Johnson & Johnson Family of Diabetes Companies share the common goal of providing professional and community education, advanced products and services, and advocacy and support to people living with diabetes and their families. These companies include: LifeScan, Inc., a world leader in blood glucose monitoring;  Animas Corporation, a leader in patient-centered pump therapy tools; Children with Diabetes, Inc., a community offering support and education for children, adults and their families living with diabetes; and the Johnson & Johnson Diabetes Institute, LLC, a global initiative to improve care and better outcomes worldwide through product training and educational programs.

About Animas Corporation

Animas is dedicated to creating a world without limits for people with diabetes through a wide range of products and services, including the OneTouch® Ping® Glucose Management System, and support and education from our Clinical team. Animas, from the Latin word meaning "true inner self or soul," has been committed since 1996 to meeting individual patient needs through the development of life-performance technology and customer service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

About LifeScan, Inc.

LifeScan is the leading blood glucose monitoring company in the U.S.  More than 5 million people in the U.S. depend on LifeScan's OneTouch® Brand products for simple testing and accurate results to help them manage their diabetes.  OneTouch® is the most recommended brand of meters by healthcare professionals in the U.S., including endocrinologists, Primary Care Physicians and Diabetes Educators.  97% of patients, including those with Medicare, are insured for OneTouch® Brand Products.* For more information on diabetes care and OneTouch® Products and services, visit www.onetouch.com.

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.  These statements are based on current expectations of future events.  If underlying assumptions prove inaccurate or unknown risks or uncertainties materialize, actual results could vary materially from the expectations and projections of Animas Corporation, LifeScan, Inc. and/or Johnson & Johnson.  Risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, general industry conditions and competition; economic factors, such as interest rate and currency exchange rate fluctuations; technological advances and patents attained by competitors; challenges inherent in new product development, including obtaining regulatory approvals; domestic and foreign health care reforms and governmental laws and regulations; trends toward health care cost containment; and increased scrutiny of the healthcare industry by government agencies.  A further list and description of these risks, uncertainties and other factors can be found in Exhibit 99 of Johnson & Johnson's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended January 2, 2011.  Copies of this Form 10-K, as well as subsequent filings, are available online at www.sec.gov, www.jnj.com or on request from Johnson & Johnson.  Animas Corporation, LifeScan, Inc. and Johnson & Johnson do not undertake to update any forward-looking statements as a result of new information or future events or developments.

*Source: Medimedia Formulary Compass November 2010 and CMS Medicare Part B Enrollment.

SOURCE Animas Corporation

WANT YOUR COMPANY'S NEWS FEATURED ON PRNEWSWIRE.COM?

440k+
Newsrooms &
Influencers

9k+
Digital Media
Outlets

270k+
Journalists
Opted In

GET STARTED