Ypsomed launches YpsoLoop, the first autoinjector platform designed for circularity. The two new 1 ml and 2 ml platform versions enable material recovery through a design enabling automated disassembly and efficient recycling, while offering the convenience of a pre-filled, two-step autoinjector. YpsoLoop integrates into existing production environments, supporting a transition toward more sustainable drug delivery solutions.

With a festive Uncoupling Event at the new BERNEXPO hall, Ypsomed celebrated the conclusion of more than 40 years of shared history with mylife Diabetes Care. Over 1,000 employees enjoyed an unforgettable evening filled with joy, music, and good company.

The highlight of the evening was an emotional conversation between Simon Michel and Sébastien Delarive, who looked back together on defining experiences and achievements. With the symbolic handover, Simon wished Sébastien and the entire team all the best for the future – a moving moment marking the close of one era and the beginning of a new chapter.

Ypsomed celebrated the topping-out ceremony for its second plant in Schwerin with over 200 guests from politics, business, and the construction trade. With "Schwerin 2," the company is investing more than half a billion Swiss francs over the coming years in new production halls and facilities, high-bay warehouses, as well as modern office and technical buildings. The plant will be certified according to the international LEED Gold standard for sustainable construction.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted 510(k) clearance for SmartPilot, a digital connectivity add-on developed by Ypsomed. The device transforms the YpsoMate autoinjector into a connected system that automatically captures and transmits injection data. The clearance marks an important step toward digital health solutions that offer deeper insights into therapy use, enable objective monitoring, and support improved adherence and treatment outcomes.

Ypsomed and Burgdorf-based TecMed AG have signed an agreement for the sale of Ypsomed Diabetes Care AG for up to CHF 420 million, including earn-out. The sale was preceded by a bidding process lasting several months. TecMed is owned by Willy Michel, meaning that the diabetes business is returning to the hands of the company's founder. Ypsomed intends to focus on strengthening its leading position in the market for subcutaneous self-injection solutions for pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies.

Ypsomed has marked the start of construction of its second production plant in Schwerin with a groundbreaking ceremony. As part of the “Schwerin 2” project, the site will be expanded in two construction phases over the coming years. The expansion will enable Ypsomed to increase its production capacity in order to meet the growing global demand for high-quality medical technology products for self-medication.

In October 2024, the new production hall D will be officially inaugurated in Schwerin. The Minister-President of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Manuela Schwesig, will be a guest at the ceremony. In the future, the CO2-neutral building will be able to produce an additional 100 million autoinjectors annually. The expansion will also create 85 new jobs and apprenticeships.

Further Expansion of the Site From January 2025

During the inauguration, CEO Simon Michel presented the further expansion plans for Schwerin. The ‘Schwerin 2’ project envisages the expansion of the production area by 25,000 square metres in the first construction phase, which will take about two years. In the second construction phase, expected to start in 2027/28, a further 17,000 square metres of production area will be added. After completion of the expansion, the Ypsomed Group's production capacity will increase by 400 to 500 million pens and autoinjectors per year.

The first phase of construction will initially create around 350 new jobs and 20 additional apprenticeships, with a further 300 jobs and 15 additional apprenticeships to be created in the second phase.

Ypsomed celebrates its 40th anniversary in 2024. We have taken this as an opportunity to take a look at our company history. Michael Hug, a journalist and author from Solothurn, has conducted numerous interviews with the Michel family and long-standing employees of Ypsomed and Disetronic.

The book is available from Knapp Verlag.

At the end of August, Ypsomed celebrates its 40th anniversary with a big party for its employees at Attisholz near Solothurn. All employees in Switzerland and their families are invited to a colourful celebration with various local artists and a wide range of entertainment for the whole family.
Around 3,500 guests attend. The highlight of the day will be a conversation between CEO Simon Michel and his father, company founder Willy Michel. Another highlight follows with a concert by Swiss musician DJ BoBo.

June 2024 marks the 40th anniversary of the founding of Ypsomed.

The anniversary will culminate in August with a great employee celebration and an official ceremony in Bern.

But it also provides the perfect opportunity to take a look back: Solothurn journalist and author Michael Hug has compiled the history of Ypsomed and its predecessor company Disetronic in a company chronicle. Excerpts from this can be read in our 40th anniversary series.

Ypsomed agrees with the Italian company Medical Technology and Devices S.p.A. (MTD) to transfer the pen needle and blood glucose monitoring (BGM) business areas. With this step, Ypsomed will focus even more strongly on the further development and marketing of the innovative mylife Loop insulin pump solution.

Ypsomed has agreed with MTD on a gradual handover of the business until mid-2025 in order to ensure the supply of insulin and other hormones to people who administer them with pen needles. During a transition phase, Ypsomed will continue to produce pen needles as a contract manufacturer and provide services to enable a seamless transfer.

Ypsomed has been producing pen components for the SoloSTAR at its plant in Solothurn since October 2009. The one billion pen mark will be reached by the end of 2023. Over the past 14 years, more than 100 employees have processed around 18,000 tonnes of granulate and 11 billion individual parts on 72 injection moulding tools.

The SoloSTAR is used by Sanofi for the administration of Lantus and Toujeo, among others, which are used worldwide in the treatment of type 2 diabetes.

Simon Michel, CEO of Ypsomed, won through against strong competition as a candidate for the liberal FDP party in the canton of Solothurn and is one of the few members of the Swiss parliament to head a large company. In the National Council, he is a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee.

Before that, Simon Michel was a member of the Solothurn Cantonal Council for the FDP from March 2017 to the end of January 2024, where he was a member of the Finance Committee.

Pregnant women with type 1 diabetes and their babies benefit from the use of an automated insulin dosing (AID) system based on the CamAPS FX algorithm. This is shown in a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine.</p

The CamAPS FX algorithm is the first and only algorithm in Europe approved for pregnant women with type 1 diabetes and mylife Loop is the first AID solution for pregnant women with type 1 diabetes. 

The autoinjectors are used for the administration of medication for self-treatment in various metabolic indications. In order to be able to supply the devices based on the YpsoMate 1 ml autoinjector model in large quantities, the company is significantly increasing its production capacities by 2030.

The conclusion of this contract is a milestone for Ypsomed.

Simon Michel, CEO of Ypsomed

This important milestone will be honoured by the stock market accordingly.

The production building, which was modernised and expanded at a cost of around CHF 10 million, houses over 50 injection moulding and assembly systems for the YpsoMate autoinjector and the YpsoPump insulin pump. The new construction and remodelling work took around ten months. In addition to a front extension for tool maintenance, the building's entire building services were modernised with sustainability in mind. The offices, cloakrooms and break rooms for employees were modernised.

These investments will equip the site for the next 20 years. However, we have not just spent money and renovated, we have also used this opportunity to optimise our processes and expand capacity,

explained Simon Michel, CEO Ypsomed, at the opening ceremony.

Around 100 guests attended the opening ceremony, including Cantonal Councillor Christoph Ammann and the Mayor of Burgdorf, Stefan Berger.

Ypsomed has been awarded the silver medal for its commitment to sustainability by the independent assessment agency EcoVadis. This puts Ypsomed in the top 25% worldwide in the "Manufacture of medical and dental instruments and accessories" sector. Ypsomed's performance in the area of environmental protection, such as the NetZero programme, was rated as particularly outstanding. However, its commitment in the areas of "Labour and human rights," "Ethics" and "Sustainable procurement" also made a significant contribution.

Ypsomed is entering into a partnership with S3 Connected Health with the aim of expanding the digital health offering for pharmaceutical companies to support patients with acute and chronic diseases.

The new platform will enable our pharma and biotech customers to bring to market integrated device and digital health solutions that can further improve patient outcomes and quality of life without long development times. This new product offering complements our existing product portfolio and our partnerships in the field of connected devices and digital health. We want to further strengthen our position in the field of digital health and offer our customers the best possible benefits.

Ulrike Bauer, Chief Business Officer Delivery Systems.

The ground-breaking ceremony for Ypsomed's new production plant will take place in the Changzhou National Hi-tech District on 25 April 2023. In order to efficiently serve the rapidly growing Chinese market for injection systems, Ypsomed is investing over CHF 35 million in the new production plant in a first phase. Production is scheduled to start in the second half of 2024.

In China for China

"The Chinese market is growing rapidly and the number of our local customer projects is steadily increasing. This growth potential makes it obvious for us to set up a local production facility. We are not shifting capacities from Europe, but expanding them. Our new production plant in China will bring us closer to our Chinese customers and significantly shorten supply chains, which will also reduce our CO₂ footprint."

This is how CEO Simon Michel explains the move to China.

Ypsomed is building a new production hall in Schwerin and creating 60 new jobs. With a ground-breaking ceremony on 5 May 2023, the company is giving the go-ahead for the construction of 3,300 square metres of additional production space and a further 1,600 square metres for storage capacity and logistics. Production is scheduled to start after a one-year construction period.

We have ideal conditions in Schwerin to expand our plant and are already planning further investments. Our task is to ensure that we can adapt our production capacities to the enormous demand in good time.

Explains Simon Michel, CEO of Ypsomed.

Demand for autoinjectors is rising rapidly

The initial aim of the production expansion is to meet the increasing demand for autoinjectors. The background to this is the trend towards liquid, biotechnologically produced medicines, many of which can no longer be swallowed but have to be injected. There is also a trend towards self-treatment. More and more chronic diseases can be treated at home using autoinjectors. These developments are causing the market for autoinjectors to grow rapidly.

Ypsomed is launching a cooperation with CamDiab Ltd, the developer of CamAPS FX, an app for controlling an insulin pump using an adaptive hybrid closed-loop system.

The solution offers users of a mylife YpsoPump the opportunity to better control their glucose levels and benefit from a unique, self-learning and adaptive algorithm running on their smartphone.

We are very excited to be working with CamDiab Ltd, a pioneer in the development of interoperable loop systems. Together we can take another step towards our common goal - to make the lives of people with diabetes as easy as possible. We look forward to launching this solution over the coming months, initially for Android and later in the year for iOS.

Simon Michel, CEO of Ypsomed

Ypsomed has decided to focus on the infusion business and to divest its wholesale business DiaExpert. With the sale of DiaExpert to Mediq, Ypsomed is focussing more on the development, manufacture and distribution of its own high-quality medical technology products for people with chronic diseases.

Ypsomed announces in November 2022 that the FreeStyle Libre 3 sensor from Abbott is now approved for use in the mylife Loop System in Germany. The mylife YpsoPump and the mylife CamAPS FX algorithm from CamDiab together with the FreeStyle Libre 3 form an intelligent and automated insulin dosing (AID) designed to help people with type 1 diabetes to better control their glucose levels and reduce the burden of daily diabetes management.

Advantages in daily life

Ypsomed launched the mylife Loop solution together with CamDiab in early summer and has now launched it in several countries. Users report more freedom in their daily lives; they have more time for their families, are more active and can sleep better at night. The automated and self-learning solution gives parents of children with diabetes a good overview and control, as they can view their child's glucose levels at any time via their smartphone and react accordingly if necessary.

Option for people with diabetes

For the first time, users of the mylife Loop system can choose between two sensors, the Dexcom G6 and the FreeStyle Libre 3.

mylife Loop with the FreeStyle Libre 3 sensor is initially available in Germany, with other European countries to follow in 2023.

Through the cooperation with Sidekick Health, Ypsomed is expanding its range of innovative injection systems and services. The combination of Ypsomed's injection systems with Sidekick's expertise in the areas of digital health, behavioural economics and gamification is intended to offer people with chronic diseases a motivating and personalised patient experience. This will provide pharmaceutical customers with a turnkey, digital therapy management system.

The partnership with Sidekick is an important step for Ypsomed on its way to becoming a provider of integrated healthcare services. The range of services in the area of digital health will be expanded with further partnerships in order to fulfil the needs of a growing market.

Company founder Willy Michel will take centre stage at the Annual General Meeting on 29 June 2022. He has decided to pass on the baton and not stand for re-election. He was elected Honorary Chairman of the Ypsomed Group by the Board of Directors back in May 2022 and will now be given a ceremonial send-off at the Annual General Meeting. He will be succeeded by Gilbert Achermann, who will be elected as the new Chairman of the Board of Directors.

Willy Michel was a member of the Group Management of Disetronic Holding AG until April 2003 and was non-executive Chairman of the Board of Directors of Ypsomed Holding AG from 2003 to August 2011. From August 2011 to June 2014, Willy Michel was Delegate of the Board of Directors and CEO of Ypsomed Holding AG and the Ypsomed Group. From July 2014 to June 2022, he served as non-executive Chairman of the Board of Directors of Ypsomed Holding AG.

In appreciation and gratitude for his lifelong, entrepreneurial and successful commitment and in recognition of his decades of service as a person with responsibility for Ypsomed and formerly Disetronic, Dr h.c. Willy Michel was appointed Honorary Chairman of the Board of Directors on 17 May 2022. Willy Michel was appointed Honorary Chairman of the Ypsomed Group by the Board of Directors on 17 May 2022, which is not associated with any function in a governing body.

Ypsomed presents the world's first autoinjector for prefilled syringes with integrated connectivity. The YpsoMate On combines the advantages of the proven YpsoMate autoinjector with the possibilities of digital therapy support. The medical device follows an eco-design principle that enables easy recycling of electronic components and favours the use of sustainable components.

Eight companies along the pharmaceutical supply chain join forces and found the Alliance to Zero. The Alliance is a non-profit membership organisation for companies along the supply chain for pharmaceutical products. It supports companies in the pharmaceutical and biotech sector to facilitate their transition to net zero emissions in line with the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement.

Ypsomed is developing the world's first CO₂-neutral prefilled autoinjector based on the YpsoMate platform. The new autoinjector is made from alternative biopolymers and implements the principle of the circular economy in its innovative packaging design.

We have to take responsibility for the environmental impact of our products. That is why we are developing injection systems that minimise the impact of self-medication on the environment,

Explains Simon Michel, CEO of Ypsomed, the vision of CO₂-neutral injection systems.

Ypsomed and DexCom Inc., the world's leading provider of continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) systems, announce their partnership to establish a hybrid closed-loop system. The partnership is an important milestone in the development of individualised diabetes therapy. In a first step, the glucose data from the CGM sensor will be integrated directly into the mylife app.

This partnership with Dexcom is an important milestone in the improvement of diabetes therapy and further strengthens our product position. We are impressed by the quality and commitment of Dexcom and look forward to working with the CGM market leader to make a contribution to people with diabetes,

Simon Michel, CEO Ypsomed

With the expansion on Brunnmattstrasse, Ypsomed is securing additional capacity and jobs to enable further growth in Switzerland in the future.

The new building and conversion will modernise and expand the tool shop, where the injection moulding tools are manufactured and validated. The laboratory, where the products are tested, particularly in the development phase, will also be modernised and expanded. In addition to the extended toolmaking facility and the expanded laboratory, around 100 additional office workstations and rooms for training courses and creative workshops will be created.

On 22 August 2019, after around two years of construction, the grand opening of the new production plant in Schwerin in northern Germany took place. In the presence of guests from business and politics, Simon Michel opens the official opening ceremony together with Jens Spahn, the then Federal Minister of Health, and Manuela Schwesig, Minister President of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.

The first commercial market entry of the YpsoMate autoinjector in 2018 is the result of the Hulio^® project launched in 2013, a collaboration with Terumo Corporation, a leading global manufacturer and distributor of medical devices.

The YpsoMate is an automated disposable injection device for prefilled glass or polymer syringes with a volume of 1 ml. The autoinjector is suitable for all patient groups. It is easy to use: first remove the protective cap. The injection is then triggered by pressing on the skin.

The YpsoMate is ergonomically and comfortably designed, allowing patients to self-treat easily and safely.

In summer 2016, Ypsomed launches the new mylife YpsoPump, which was developed under the leadership of its long-standing specialist Jürg Steck. This marks its return to the business area that once made Disetronic great.

For the mylife YpsoPump, Ypsomed has opted for a mechanical drive and an electric motor. The result is the new mylife YpsoPump with touchscreen, electric motor and a gearbox developed in-house.

Thirteen years after the sale of Disetronic to Roche, the company is thus returning to the business with its own insulin pump system.

Simon Michel will take over the operational management of the Ypsomed Group from his father Willy Michel on 1 July 2014.

My father ran the company Chairman-style from 2012 to 2014. He was in the business for one or two days and let us work the rest of the time. That was perfect for the transition. So I was able to take over seamlessly in July 2014,

says Simon Michel.

The father takes over as Chairman of the Board of Directors.

In January 2010, Ypsomed secures distribution of the new "Omnipod" patch pump from Insulet in Europe, China and Australia. The mylife OmniPod is glued directly to the skin at the injection site and is considered the iPhone of insulin pumps.

I was able to convince the people at Insulet that we have the best distribution network in Europe and, as a company, have extensive experience with pumps.

Simon Michel

Thanks to the Insulet contract, Ypsomed has gained time to reorganise the pen business with the platform model and drive forward the development of its own insulin pump.

By 2018, Ypsomed will have built up a customer base of 70,000 patients in the mylife OmniPod business.

Preparatory work for the development of the first platform for the ServoPen began back in 2005. The first ServoPens are now ready for the market in 2010 and the Gansulin insulin pen from Dongbao is the first product to be launched based on the ServoPen.

In October 2006, Simon Michel will take up a position in Ypsomed's Corporate Development department. He is 29 years old, married and has already attended Ypsomed's Board of Directors meetings as an observer for the past five years. After completing his studies at the University of St. Gallen five years previously, he gained professional experience at the telecommunications provider Orange.

In spring 2006, Sanofi announces that it is cancelling its exclusive contract with the Swiss pen manufacturer. Ypsomed's share price halves within nine months. A long lean period begins, which Ypsomed uses to set a new course.

The introduction of platforms lays the foundation for Ypsomed's future success. Previously, the pens were developed as customised products based on the requirements of a pharmaceutical company. In most cases, the customer paid for this process, which usually took two to three years. The platform model, originally invented by the automotive industry, takes a different approach. A pen is developed, tested and patented. A small production plant is also built.

Development in months instead of years

Each platform covers a range of applications. These differ, for example, in how large the injected doses need to be, how often a pen can be used or what chemical properties an active ingredient has. From the basic platform model, just a few adjustments are needed to provide the customer with the version they need. This reduces the development time from several years to just a few months.

Rethinking production

Since 2006, Ypsomed has relied entirely on product platforms. However, the foundation stone was laid shortly after the company was founded in 2003, when a development team was freed from day-to-day business by the then CEO Matthew Robin and given the task of thinking about the production of pens outside of previous categories.

Ypsomed also promotes innovation outside its own company: the first Ypsomed Innovation Prize is awarded in 2006. 
The prize honours business ideas that emerge from projects at universities of applied sciences and universities. The first winner is researcher Eliane Müller from the University of Bern, who has developed a process that can reduce animal testing and from which the company CellnTec has emerged.

The Ypsomed Innovation Prize is awarded every two years by the Ypsomed Innovation Fund to outstanding research work that involves innovative and commercially viable processes, methods, products or services.

At the start, Ypsomed has 540 employees. In summer 2004, sales totalled 200 million Swiss francs and the workforce had already grown to 800. All forecasts assume double-digit growth rates. After the first year of operation, the new company is already dependent on external funding to finance its growth. Following the IPO of Disetronic, this IPO is also successful. The share price rises from CHF 68 to CHF 220 within two years.

In the same year, Aventis, which had emerged from Hoechst, was taken over by its French competitor Sanofi.

In April 2000, Willy Michel, who had wanted to retire from operational business for some time, handed over the management of the company to his long-time confidant Thomas Meyer for the first time. The company is now split into the Pumps and Pens divisions.

After the sale of Disetronic to Roche, the successor company needs a new name. In reference to the Latin word "Ipso" for "Self" and "med" for Medication, it will be named Ypsomed.

"Ipso" is Latin and means "self." This fits well with devices that allow people with chronic conditions to administer their medicine themselves. However, the first letter should not be an I, but a Y. The name is ideal for branding as it allows for numerous combinations with the prefix "Ypso."
Furthermore, the company name perfectly symbolises Ypsomed's core business: offering products and services that enable patients to easily and safely administer medications themselves.

On 9 February 2003, the sale of Disetronic to  Roche is sealed. The Basel-based pharmaceutical group is primarily interested in Disetronic's insulin pump and offers 1.6 billion Swiss francs to buy all the shares. Willy Michel immediately buys back the pen division, which is of no interest to Roche, for 425 million francs.

393 shareholders attend Disetronic's last Annual General Meeting on Wednesday, 23 April 2003. This formally finalises the sale of Disetronic and the repurchase of the Pens division. In Burgdorf alone, 350 employees change employers.  

Ypsomed manufactures pens exclusively for the pharmaceutical company Aventis. Because its long-term insulin is experiencing an incredible boom, Ypsomed grows rapidly in the first few years and is faced with high demand. The company expands to Solothurn to meet its space requirements.

On the site of the formerly famous "Autophon", a manufacturer of telephones and radios, Ypsomed buys "Building 10".

On 13 June 1996, Disetronic shares are traded on the Swiss stock exchange for the first time. The shares are issued for 2350 francs and rise to almost 3000 francs within a very short time. The very next year, Disetronic's turnover exceeds CHF 100 million and the company employs over 400 people.

Disetronic erects a characteristic new building at the Oberburg railway station site for 20 million Swiss francs, which is still the company headquarters of Ypsomed today. The 7200 square metre building had become necessary because the company would otherwise have been bursting at the seams.

At the German pharmaceutical company Hoechst, manager Dieter Schäfer recognises the potential of the "MRS-Infusor" and concludes an exclusive contract with Disetronic AG. Shortly afterwards, the first subsidiary is founded in the neighbourhood of Hoechst in Frankfurt. The contract seals Disetronic's business breakthrough. From now on, the company grows rapidly.

On 6 June 1984, the Official Gazette of Commerce announces the existence of Disetronic AG Burgdorf. Five people are behind the new company: Willy Michel, the pharmaceutical consultant and idea generator, his brother, the physicist Peter Michel, the two physicists Peter Raemy and Urs Jenzer, and the diabetologist Heinz Süsstrunk. 

The scientists have set themselves the goal of building the world's smallest insulin pump.