Godrej Appliances Launches new Health Care Innovation

MUMBAI:
Godrej Appliances, business unit of Godrej & Boyce, the flagship company of the Godrej Group, has been actively contributing towards building the nation’s healthcare infrastructure. Taking a step further in this direction, strengthening its medical refrigeration portfolio, Godrej Appliances has launched the new InsuliCool product range – Godrej InsuliCool and Godrej InsuliCool+, innovative cooling solutions especially designed for insulin storage, to address the challenge faced by diabetic patients with respect to insulin storage at recommended temperatures.

Data suggests that close to 74 million people suffer from diabetes in India. This is second highest in the world and predicted to rise over 10% by 2030. Of this, at least 10% of the diabetic population also require insulin therapy beyond oral administration. It is also a scientifically established fact that insulin must always be preserved between temperature range of 2°- 8°C to maintain its effectiveness. Any temperature breach below or above this range leads to drop in its efficacy.

A major challenge in India and in other countries too, is the storage practices adopted for maintaining temperatures within this range, for regular day-to-day storage of insulin, which only gets compounded further during any travel, thereby restricting mobility of insulin dependent diabetic patients. Commonly used solutions like ice packs are not meant for insulin storage at all.

Refrigerators used at homes are not ideal either, because the frequent door openings lead to temperature fluctuations and insulin requires precise cooling. Improper storage of insulin leading to lowering of its potency can lead to increasing dosage over time. Proper storage of insulin at the recommended temperature can go a significant way in managing diabetes, usually a long running condition in patients.

Using cutting-edge technology and innovation, Godrej InsuliCool product range is equipped with advanced solid state thermoelectric cooling technology and is designed to work even at ambient temperatures up to 43°C, maintaining the system’s internal temperature of 2°- 8°C always. The display indicator on the front of the unit shows that the insulin is being stored at the correct temperature. With storage capacity of 560ml, it can easily store 9 vials; alternatively, 2 pens and 5 cartridges can be stored by removing the vials holder.

Apart from ensuring precise cooling, the other key advantage is its portability. InsuliCool is light weight, compact, and comes with a shoulder belt making it easy to carry. In addition to the power adapter provided with the unit, one can also purchase additional accessories like an external power bank to provide a backup of 4 hrs on full charge or a car adapter kit for charging on the go, while travelling by vehicle. Its advanced variant InsuliCool+ comes with an external power bank included in the product kit.

Thoughtfully designed, and a result of intense scientific endeavour, the product has soft external contours making it easy to carry. Its dedicated internal space comes with a vial holder which secures the vials in place while on the move and is easily removable to create space for cartridge storage. The secured door latch ensures proper gasket sealing so that no cooling is lost during transportation.

The product also has wider applications requiring storage of vital temperature sensitive vaccines, medicines, vials for drops, other medical samples and specimen at a precise temperature between 2°- 8°C to retain its potency.

Speaking about the brand’s innovations over the years, Nyrika Holkar, Executive Director, Godrej & Boyce said,” Healthcare infrastructure is today, amongst the key pillars of a nation’s growth and we strongly believe that public-private partnerships coupled with innovative offerings can help address
many of the challenges that our current healthcare system faces, going a long way in boosting public health and thereby national prosperity. We studied how the treatment of diabetes in our country is suffering from the absence of optimal cooling solutions for insulin. Our expertise in the medical cold chain enabled us to offer an innovative solution – the Godrej InsuliCool range, to tackle this issue and improve the quality of life for millions of insulin dependent diabetics.”

Sharing her thoughts on the problem of shortage of insulin storage facilities in India, Dr. Vaishali Deshmukh, renowned Endocrinologist, head of endocrinology Deenanath Mangeshkar hospital and Founder of SPHERE, Pune said, “Normally, people use refrigerators for storing insulin at home, but the fluctuating temperature in a domestic refrigerator due to multiple door openings, affects efficacy of the insulin and it tends to lose its potency. Further, most people are not using the right solutions for insulin storage when travelling. Insulin must always be stored at a temperature between 2°- 8°C or any deviation could lead to lower efficacy. When a patient administers insulin themselves through a measured dose, the results of blood sugar level maintenance could vary because of drop in
efficacy of the insulin.”

Commenting on the product launch Kamal Nandi, Business Head and Executive Vice President of Godrej Appliances said, “At Godrej Appliances, we work relentlessly to address the unique challenges faced by consumers. On observing one of the most pertinent issues faced by diabetes patients which
is lack of proper insulin storage at optimal temperatures, leading to a decline in its potency, we have introduced a specially designed InsuliCool product range to provide insulin storage at the recommended 2°- 8°C. It addresses the challenges of insulin storage at precise temperature and has been designed to use at home or office or during travel. We feel this will positively impact diabetes management in India and go a long way to improve the quality of life of diabetic consumers.”

The product range will be available pan-India, through the brand’s e-store and through popular e- commerce platforms like Amazon, as well as in chemist shops at MRP starting from Rs. 5999, accessories priced separately.