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Montmed Inc. Announces Issuance of a second US Patent for Sitesmart Pen Needles
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“How and where you inject is as important as what you inject.”

Lori Berard, Nurse, CDE

Recent international trials have found that the prevalence of lipohypertrophy ranges from 49% to 64%. The strongest correlating factor was the lack of injection site rotation.

Forum for Injection Technique Canada (FIT) 4th edition

The sole dispensing of SiteSmart™ by a retail pharmacist resulted in a significant improvement in injection site rotation compared to conventional pen needles.

Berard et al., Diabetes Ther 11, 2979–2991 (2020)

WHAT EXCITES US

Designing education that sticks, by engineering education directly into the product design for effortless implementation of key clinical recommendations. We want people with diabetes to think less about their diabetes, enabling them to do more. This has been fundamental to the development of our solution, SiteSmart™.

OUR FOCUS

SiteSmart™
Making the most out of insulin!

Insulin is an amazing drug. It’s a life-saving drug. The discovery of insulin by Banting and Best in 1921 has been a landmark in Canadian medical history. Since then, the field has observed a lot of innovation through the development of novel insulin and technologies to monitor diabetes management. But an important aspect of insulin administration has been forgotten over the last 100 years: the impact that repeated insulin injections (a growth hormone) at the same location has on insulin absorption, effectiveness and safety, leading to a complication also known as lipohypertrophy.

Lipohypertrophy is a common complication, occurring in as high as 65% of people using insulin. ‘Lipo’ is defined as an abnormal accumulation of fat underneath the surface of the skin. The primary cause of lipohypertrophy is a lack of proper injection site rotation, which results in erratic insulin absorption, and therefore unpredictable blood sugar levels. Ensuring constantly rotating insulin injection site seems like an easy thing to do, but easier said, not as easily implemented.

Clinical impact of lack of injection site rotation

Unpredictable blood glucose swings
10% Increase in insulin requirements

Worldwide Injection Technique Study, Mayo Clinic Proc. 2016;91(9):1224-1230

0.6% elevation in A1C

Worldwide Injection Technique Study, Mayo Clinic Proc. 2016;91(9):1224-1230

OUR SOLUTION

Montmed has developed SiteSmart™, the only insulin pen needle designed to bring clinical value by helping insulin users effortlessly adopt a healthy site rotation routine.

You must be asking… how does it work?

SiteSmart™ leverages the basic principle of association to create and favor effortless implementation of healthy insulin injection site rotations. First, create your injection site rotation plan according to your preference and your healthcare professional recommendations by simply associating a color to an injection site, using the association tool provided in the box, or by using the web app. Then, each time you pick a new pen needle, simply inject in the area corresponding to the color of the pen needle on your plan.

4 COLORS OF PEN NEEDLES

100 pen needles per box distinctively marked with 4 colors (4×25)

INJECTION SITES ASSOCIATION TOOLS

Association tools included in the box or available online

That’s it! No tracking, no logging, no need to remember where you gave your last injection. It’s that easy!

SITE SMART

LEADERSHIP

Our team has years of professional (and personal) experience in diabetes and blood sugar management, delivery systems, and commercialization.

amir farzam

President and CEO

Amir has worked for 13 years as an entrepreneur and CEO in diabetes medical device commercialization as well as not-for-profit diabetes education. His expertise is developing company strategy while leading all operational tactics and building business models anchored in innovation. Prior to Montmed, Amir co-founded and led Farir Teb, an Iran-based medical device company, which became the market leader of diabetes devices in Iran over a period of 5 years. He also co-founded and sat on the board of directors of Gabric Diabetes Education Association, which became the best practice of diabetes education in MENA (Middle-East and North Africa), member of IDF (International Diabetes Federation) and recognized by WHO. (World Health Organization) Amir is driven by the complexity of diabetes management, a combination of science and consumer behavior.

MARTIN LAFONTAINE

Head of Commercial and Business Development

Martin has 21 years of experience within the pharmaceutical, medical device and digital health industry. He possesses strong expertise in commercial go-to-market product launch excellence, marketing, corporate development and business development, in Canada, US and internationally. Martin recently acted as a consultant to numerous development-stage pharmaceutical and medical device companies, in the field of diabetes. Prior to this, Martin held the role of Chief Commercial Officer for Locemia Solutions, a Montreal based company developing nasal glucagon for the rescue treatment of hypoglycemia, acquired by Eli Lilly in 2015. His passion for diabetes has solid roots, beginning at age 13 when he was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.
He authored a chapter in the book, “Successful Men With Diabetes.”

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Chairman of the Board

As Co-Founder, President and CEO of Locemia Solutions, Dr. Piché led the company from start up through to completion of phase III clinical studies, ultimately resulting in the sale of its glucagon nasal powder technology to Eli Lilly in October 2015. He has over 25 years of experience in developing and commercializing pharmaceuticals, vaccines, and diagnostics, including more than 15 years where he focused on diabetes therapeutics and hypoglycemia-related technologies. He has worked at large companies such as Merck, as well as start-up biopharmaceutical companies where he had roles in research, regulatory affairs, marketing, and operations.

Board Member

Amir has worked for 13 years as an entrepreneur and CEO in diabetes medical device commercialization as well as not-for-profit diabetes education. His expertise is developing company strategy while leading all operational tactics and building business models anchored in innovation. Prior to Montmed, Amir co-founded and led Farir Teb, an Iran-based medical device company, which became the market leader of diabetes devices in Iran over a period of 5 years. He also co-founded and sat on the board of directors of Gabric Diabetes Education Association, which became the best practice of diabetes education in MENA (Middle-East and North Africa), member of IDF (International Diabetes Federation) and recognized by WHO. (World Health Organization) Amir is driven by the complexity of diabetes management, a combination of science and consumer behavior.

Board Member

Living with T1 diabetes since the age of 14 together with his attitude of creativity, Hormoz co-founded Gabric Diabetes Education Association in 2006. As a unique diabetes school and support model, combining technology, empathy and innovation, Gabric has tremendously revolutionized the lives of hundreds of thousands of people with diabetes all over Iran. Gabric is recognized by WHO as one of the leading role models. He also co-founded Farir-Teb implementing a unique business model in Iran offering a wide variety of healthcare products with focus on diabetes gaining significant market share in a short-run. Having valuable experience in strategy, marketing, leadership and non-profit, Hormoz is also an advisor and a leadership instructor for non-for-profit organizations.

ADVISORY BOARD

Our company benefits from the expertise and experience of numerous advisors, including world-renowned professionals in diabetes education, injection techniques, respected researchers, pharma and medical devices executives.

RN, CDE

Lori Berard is Diabetes Educator with an expertise in diabetes education, management and clinical research. As a certified diabetes educator, she has over 30 years’ experience primarily as the Nurse Manager for the Health Sciences Centre Diabetes Research Program. More recently she was the Nurse Clinician/Educator at the Wellness Institute Seven Oaks General Hospital. She was a Faculty Member at the University of Manitoba Department of Medicine Section of Endocrinology from 2009 to 2017 and continues as a sessional instructor in the medical school.
Currently, she is working as a consultant in diabetes management and clinical research operations. She continues to be actively involved in many continuing medical education initiatives with numerous presentations and publications. Lori has been a professional member and major volunteer of Diabetes Canada for more than 25 years and has extensive experience with the Clinical Practice Guidelines. She has received many honors and awards related to her work in diabetes.

B.Sc. Pharmacy, ACPR, CDE, CPT, CDE

A graduate of Dalhousie University, Mr Roscoe completed his Hospital Pharmacy Residency at Saint John Regional Hospital and worked in various hospitals in the New Brunswick region before finding his place in community pharmacy. Currently working as an Independent community Pharmacist out of Rothesay New Brunswick, a CDE (Certified Diabetes Educator), CPT (Certified Insulin Pump Trainer) and has passed the Certification in Insulin Adjustment exam. He now provides collaborative diabetes clinics within family practitioners offices seeing individual patients as part of his innovative practice. Since obtaining his CDE, he has been involved in many diabetes initiatives, promoting the role of pharmacists and the part they play in patient care and diabetes management. Mr Roscoe has a long list of accomplishments in the field. Rob is one of the co-authors and expert committee member of the 2013 and 2018 CDA Clinical Practice Guidelines. He is also one of the founding board members and an author of the Forum for Injection Technique in Canada (FIT).

MMSc, RD, CDE, BC-ADM, FAADE

An internationally recognized dietitian and diabetes care and education specialist. She owns Hope Warshaw Associates, LLC. Within her consultancy she applies forty years of experience as a consultant in diabetes care and nutrition management, book author, freelance writer and media spokesperson. She has written several award-winning, best-selling consumer books and resources published by the American Diabetes Association (ADA) and authored and co-authored professional articles in numerous journals. She has been involved as a volunteer with diabetes and nutrition organizations and has served in leadership positions for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, American Diabetes Association and American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE) and served as president of AADE during 2016.

LATEST NEWS

2012, 2019

A Helpful Reminder from These Colorful Insulin Pen Needles

A Helpful Reminder from These Colorful Insulin Pen Needles Last month we addressed the under-discussed issue of lipohypertrophy. Lori Berard, chair of the Canadian Forum for Injection Techniques, helped ASweetLife understand the nature and scope of the issue, which is almost [...]

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