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ASCENSIA DIABETES CARE RENEWS INTERNATIONAL ALLIANCE WITH MEDTRONIC

Basel, Switzerland

Today Ascensia Diabetes Care announced that it has renewed its global alliance with Medtronic plc to develop and market innovative diabetes management solutions for patients worldwide. As part of the agreement, Ascensia Diabetes Care will continue to exclusively co-develop and supply CONTOUR^™ NEXT LINK and CONTOUR^™ PLUS LINK blood glucose meters that are wirelessly compatible to communicate with Medtronic's integrated insulin pump and continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) systems.

The renewal announced today lasts for five years, and follows more than eight years of successful worldwide collaboration

Michael Kloss, CEO of Ascensia Diabetes Care, explained, "To date we have launched three meter generations with Medtronic MiniMed insulin pump systems across the world and have seen tremendous success with this alliance. Medtronic is leading the path towards the artificial pancreas through their research and development. It is testament to the high quality and remarkable accuracy of our blood glucose monitoring systems that Medtronic has chosen them as part of their MiniMed insulin pump systems. We are delighted to collaborate with Medtronic on future insulin pump systems to simplify and improve the lives of people with diabetes."

Alejandro Galindo, president of the Intensive Insulin Management Business at Medtronic, said, "Medtronic aims to transform diabetes care around the world through continuous product innovations so that people living with diabetes can enjoy greater freedom and better health. We are excited to continue our strategic alliance with Ascensia as we strive to achieve this goal."

Michael Kloss added, "At Ascensia Diabetes Care, we believe that the sharing of knowledge and expertise is vital to help us simplify and improve the lives of those with diabetes. For this reason we actively encourage collaborations with leading science and technology companies like Medtronic."

Ascensia Diabetes Care was established from the sale of the Bayer Diabetes Care business to Panasonic Healthcare Holdings Co., Ltd. The CONTOURTM NEXT LINK and CONTOURTM PLUS LINK meter portfolios have been specifically developed to automatically transmit blood glucose test results wirelessly to Medtronic's insulin pump systems. Seamless integration makes the continuous glucose monitoring calibration and bolus calculations quick and easy, while eliminating the risk of inaccuracies due to manual entry errors. The latest meter generation also allows for insulin bolus release directly from the meter. The CONTOUR™ PLUS LINK meters are not available for sale in the United States.

Notes for Editors

About Ascensia Diabetes Care

Ascensia Diabetes Care is a global specialist diabetes care company, dedicated to helping improve the lives of people with diabetes by empowering them to take charge of their health. We use our innovation and specialist expertise in diabetes to develop high quality solutions and tools that make a simple, positive, daily difference for people with diabetes.

Home to the world renowned CONTOUR^™ portfolio of blood glucose monitoring systems, our products combine advanced technology with user-friendly functionality that help people with diabetes to manage their condition. We are committed to continued research, innovation and development of new products. As a leader in diabetes care and a trusted partner, we collaborate closely with healthcare professionals and other partners to ensure our products meet the highest standards of accuracy and compliance.

Ascensia Diabetes Care was established in 2016 through the sale of Bayer Diabetes Care to Panasonic Healthcare Holdings Co., Ltd. Ascensia Diabetes Care products are sold in more than 125 countries. Following the close of the transaction in all countries, Ascensia Diabetes Care will have around 1,400 employees and operations in 38 countries.

For further information please visit the Ascensia Diabetes Care website at: 
http://www.ascensia.com.

CONTOUR^™ is a registered trademark of Ascensia Diabetes Care Holdings AG.

For further information please contact:

Joseph Delahunty
VP, Global Head of Communications
Ascensia Diabetes Care
E-mail: joseph.delahunty@ascensia.com 
Phone: +41 61 560 8760