Zuuka raises capital for wearable insulin platform

Zuuka is raising capital to commercialise a wearable drug-delivery platform, with the United States as its main target market.

The funding will support prototype development, user trials, app development and regulatory work over a 12- to 18-month runway. Zuuka plans to seek initial regulatory approval in New Zealand before pursuing broader entry into the US.

Its first planned product is a miniaturised wearable insulin delivery device. The same underlying micro-actuator technology could also be adapted for other injectable therapies used in chronic disease and neurological conditions that are shifting from hospital settings into the home.

The platform was developed by Dr Jake Campbell, of Te Rarawa descent, during postdoctoral research at the University of Canterbury on low-power wearable drug-delivery systems. Zuuka's approach replaces motor-driven wearable delivery systems with a lower-power mechanism intended to reduce device size, charging needs and operating complexity.

Chief Executive Jamie Cairns said the business is aiming to address a gap between the shift to connected care and the devices used to deliver treatment.

"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."

Zuuka said its first device is designed to be about half the size of some existing patch pumps and to operate for more than a year without regular charging. The system uses a reusable pump body with replaceable infusion components rather than a fully disposable design.

That approach could cut medical waste by as much as 99% compared with some disposable patch pump systems, according to the company. Cairns said the reusable model also matters commercially as health systems face pressure to lower costs and manage long-term treatment outside hospitals.

"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."

Connected care

The platform is intended to connect with continuous glucose monitoring systems, smartphone applications and cloud-based clinician platforms. Cairns said wearable devices will need to fit within a broader health technology environment that includes data systems, caregivers and automated decision tools.

"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."

Zuuka sees diabetes as its first commercial use case, but Cairns said the underlying platform could later support treatments for Parkinson's disease, pulmonary arterial hypertension and Alzheimer's disease. He said that could open business-to-business opportunities in pharmaceutical partnerships, device licensing, remote care platforms and provider networks.

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

Local development

Cairns said the capital raising is also expected to support new engineering and product development roles in Christchurch as the company moves through prototyping and regulatory work. The immediate priority is to complete the prototype and advance user trials while exploring commercial partnerships that could help with international entry.

"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 added that commercial success in connected care will depend on whether devices can fit into existing digital systems while remaining practical for patients and providers.

"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."