TouchéMedical is developing a low-cost ‘smart’ patch pump designed for patients of all ages with diabetes, Parkinson’s and other chronic conditions. The patch pumps worn by many people with diabetes are a game-changer in managing the daily infusions of insulin needed to control their chronic condition.

Now an Israeli father-son team seeks to further change the game with a significantly lower-cost and “smarter” patch pump, hoping to put the devices in reach of many more patients needing constant medication. Not only millions of diabetics of all ages, but also those with neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, would benefit.

Avi Keret of TouchéMedical stresses that he and his inventor son Amir are not reinventing the wheel, rather making it more universally accessible. “Our device gives the same amount of medication as any other pump; it just delivers the drug in a way that allows for a better quality of life,” he tells ISRAEL21c.

The device would be especially welcome, he believes, in parts of India and other Asian countries with a rising diabetes rate and a high incidence of thalassemia, a genetic blood disorder often affecting multiple members of the same family. A patch pump is the best solution for administering lifesaving medication continuously, but the high cost forces many of these families to share one device, compromising its effectiveness.

“We’ll offer them an alternative,” Keret pledges. “People who have or don’t have medical insurance will be able to afford it. Children all over the world will be able to use it.” (via Israel21c)

[Photo: TMED5 / YouTube ]