Becton, Dickinson and Company / 2003 Annual Report


After importing Luer all-glass syringes, BD acquires patent rights to the product and starts manufacturing just a year after the Company’s founding.	BD is incorporated in the State of New Jersey and creates the first manufacturing facility in the U.S. built specifically for producing thermometers, hypodermic needles and syringes.	Two years after the development of insulin, BD manufactures the first syringe made specifically for insulin injection, beginning the Company’s ongoing commitment to diabetes care on a global basis.

Technology, research, education, philanthropy
BD battles diabetes across many fronts

From a single product introduction in 1924, BD has grown into the worldwide leader in insulin injection systems for diabetes healthcare. The Company offers the world’s broadest line of insulin syringes, together with pen needles and, beginning last year, innovative, high-performance systems for blood glucose monitoring.

BD’s contributions to diabetes healthcare go far beyond products and technology. In education, for more than 20 years the BD Getting Started kit has been a source of information for the new-to-insulin patient. In the online environment, BDdiabetes.com has evolved into a convenient educational resource. BD has donated well over a billion insulin syringes for medical relief efforts and children’s summer camps. And, the Company has expanded globally–in China and India, for example–as diabetes has become more prevalent, and is being diagnosed more frequently, in countries where it was once relatively uncommon.

In products and technology, BD continues to make major strides. In 2002, the Company entered the field of blood glucose monitoring with two products–the BD Logic blood glucose monitor and the BD Latitude Diabetes Management System. The BD Logic monitor is a cutting-edge meter with best-in-class strip technology, an easy-to-read display screen and large data capacity. The BD Latitude system is the first fully integrated therapeutic diabetes system, containing a monitor as well as all the tools needed to test and inject. Both products use the thinnest lancet available (33-gauge) to minimize pain; include test strips that require only a minimal amount of blood (0.3 microliter); deliver accurate results in just five seconds; and offer the most useful onboard data management, with time-specific averaging.

As part of these launches, BD entered into strategic relationships with industry leaders Medtronic MiniMed and Eli Lilly and Company. Medtronic MiniMed is distributing a co-branded version of the BD Logic monitor, while Lilly’s diabetes sales organization is providing support for the BD Latitude system.

Extending their relationship, Medtronic MiniMed introduced the first integrated meter and pump system, the Paradigm^®512 insulin pump and the Paradigm Link^TMblood glucose monitor, in mid-2003. The Paradigm Link^TMmonitor incorporates BD Logic technology and radio frequency capability. Readings taken by the monitor are transmitted to the pump, which calculates and recommends a correct insulin dosage for patients–a major step forward in diabetes management.

BD has created a new blood glucose meter to interface with Medtronic MiniMed’s Paradigm® 512 insulin pump. This integrated, "smart" system is designed to enhance and simplify diabetes management.

BD has also introduced BD Diabetes software. This simple-to-use but sophisticated PC-based software supports the BD Logic monitor and the BD Latitude system. It allows for more effective diabetes treatment and may help diabetes patients stay within the blood sugar target ranges that are right for them.