Zuuka raises capital for wearable insulin platform

Zuuka is raising capital to commercialise a wearable drug-delivery platform, initially focused on insulin delivery for the US market.

The funding will support prototype development, user trials, app development and regulatory work over the next 12 to 18 months. Zuuka plans to seek initial regulatory approval in New Zealand before expanding into the United States.

Its first product is a miniaturised wearable insulin delivery device built on a proprietary low-power micro-actuator system developed by Co-founder Dr Jake Campbell during postdoctoral research at the University of Canterbury. Zuuka says the same platform could also be adapted for other injectable therapies used in chronic disease and neurological conditions.

Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer Jamie Cairns said the business sees an opening as more treatment shifts from hospitals and clinics into the home.

"The healthcare sector is moving rapidly toward connected, home-based models of care, but the delivery technology has not always kept pace," Cairns said.

"Many injectable treatments still rely on systems that are highly visible, operationally complex or difficult to use consistently over long periods. We are developing a platform that is smaller, lower power and designed to integrate more easily with the digital health infrastructure around the patient," he said.

The device is designed to connect with continuous glucose monitoring systems, smartphone apps and clinician platforms hosted in the cloud. Cairns said that connection to digital health systems is central to Zuuka's commercial pitch as providers and drug companies look for ways to manage patients remotely.

"These technologies cannot operate in isolation. The next generation of healthcare devices needs to connect into a wider technology ecosystem involving apps, data platforms, monitoring systems, clinicians, caregivers and, over time, AI-supported decision tools."

"Our focus is on building a platform that can sit within that ecosystem and support healthcare providers and pharmaceutical companies as more complex therapies shift into home-based use," he said.

Device design

Zuuka said its first device is intended to be about half the size of some current patch pumps and to run for more than a year without regular charging. Rather than using a fully disposable model, it has a reusable pump body with replaceable infusion components.

The company says that design could cut medical waste by as much as 99% compared with some disposable patch pump systems. Cairns said the reusable format also matters commercially for health systems and insurers under pressure to contain costs and reduce waste.

"Device waste, training burden, usability and adherence all have commercial implications for healthcare providers, insurers, pharmaceutical companies and health systems.

"If a technology is difficult to use, too visible or too disruptive to daily life, people stop using it. That creates poor health outcomes, but it also creates major inefficiencies across the healthcare system," he said.

Zuuka is targeting the United States because of the size of its diabetes market and growing demand for wearable tools used in chronic disease management. It cited forecasts showing the global insulin pump market rising from about USD $8.2 billion in 2026 to more than USD $22 billion by 2034.

Broader market

While insulin delivery is the first commercial application, the startup says the platform may have wider uses. Cairns said it could eventually be adapted for therapies in Parkinson's disease, pulmonary arterial hypertension and Alzheimer's treatment as more injectable drugs move into home-based care.

That could create business-to-business opportunities through pharmaceutical partnerships, device licensing, remote care platforms and provider networks. For now, however, the immediate priority is completing the prototype and moving into user trials.

Campbell's work on low-power wearable drug-delivery systems formed the technical basis of the business. Zuuka's approach replaces traditional motor-driven systems with a lower-power mechanism intended to reduce device size, charging needs and operating complexity.

Cairns said Zuuka also expects to add engineering and product development roles in Christchurch as development progresses. He described the company's ambitions as an effort to turn locally developed medical technology into an export business targeting one of the world's largest healthcare markets.

"The long-term opportunity is not just a single device. It is a platform technology that can help pharmaceutical companies and healthcare providers deliver injectable therapies in a way that is easier to scale, easier to manage and better suited to home-based care.

"New Zealand has the capability to build high-value medical technology for global markets. Our goal is to take a locally developed platform and commercialise it into one of the largest healthcare technology markets in the world," he said.

"The demand for connected healthcare technology is growing quickly, but success will depend on platforms that are practical for patients, commercially viable for providers and capable of integrating into the wider digital health environment.

"That is where we believe Zuuka has a strong opportunity," he said.