Lilly has struck a non-exclusive deal with US digital health company Rimidi to boost its in-development personalised diabetes solution and provide more effective diabetes management.

The pharma firm will integrate Rimidi’s diabetes management software platform into an integrated insulin management system it is currently working on that will combine a connected insulin pen, glucose-sensing technologies such as continuous monitoring systems and software.

Marie Schiller, vice president of connected care and site head at Lilly’s Cambridge Innovation Center, said: "To make diabetes management easier, we need to enable and empower people with diabetes to use insulin more effectively.

“Our partnership with Rimidi is one step in making this vision a reality. Diabetes is a challenge for patients and can be tough for physicians to treat. Connected care may be able to reduce many of these burdens, allowing physicians to focus on the most important clinical decisions and improving outcomes."

For Atlanta-headquartered Rimidi its partnership with Lilly is a ‘better together’ story.

CEO Lucienne Ide explained: "Diabetes management is a collaborative effort between people with diabetes and their healthcare providers. With the right support they can achieve better results together."

The platforms from Rimidi and Lilly are currently in development and some clinical trials have started, Lilly said, adding it is working to make its platform available to patients within two to three years, pending FDA approval or clearance.

Meanwhile, Lilly’s diabetes rivals Novo Nordisk and Roche both increased their digital health investments this year, partnering with remote monitoring software firm Glooko and acquiring smartphone-based management platform mySugr respectively.

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