Modular Medical’s fresh research confirms what clinicians have long suspected: the “almost-pumper” market is enormous, underserved, and apparently very, very tired of injecting insulin in parking lots.
A Number Worth Repeating: 97%
In the often-cautious world of medical device commercialization, where product launches are hedged with asterisks and tempered with caveats, a survey result of 97% lands like a thunderclap.
Modular Medical, Inc. (NASDAQ: MODD), the San Diego-based developer of the Pivot™ tubeless insulin patch pump, announced on July 14, 2026, that it has completed an inaugural patient research initiative — and the headline finding is striking: 97% of surveyed injection users said they would consider pump therapy if it were easier to learn and delivered improved outcomes. Of the 100 individuals assessed — all multiple daily injection (MDI) users — virtually the entire cohort signaled openness to a simpler insulin delivery alternative. That is not a market trend. That is a market waiting to be unlocked.
The company also confirmed it will showcase the Pivot pump at the Association of Diabetes Care & Education Specialists (ADCES) Annual Conference in Columbus, Ohio, from August 7–10, 2026 — one of the largest gatherings of diabetes care professionals in the country, drawing more than 3,000 clinicians annually.
The Injection Problem Nobody Talks About — Until Now
To appreciate what MODD’s research reveals, consider the daily reality of an insulin-dependent patient living on multiple injections. The Pivot research surfaced two additional data points that put texture around that 97% headline.
43% of participants had been hospitalized for severe glycemic events including hyperglycemia, hypoglycemia, diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), or hyperosmolar hyperglycemic state (HHS) — and among those, nearly half experienced such events two or more times per year. These are not near-misses. These are acute, life-threatening episodes that carry enormous costs to both patients and the healthcare system.
Meanwhile, 55% of survey participants reported finding themselves in environments that were not convenient or private for administering insulin injections at least twice per week, while a full 31% faced this situation more than four times per week. To be blunt: more than half of MDI patients are regularly standing in restroom stalls, car seats, or restaurant booths, discreetly performing a medical procedure that no amount of clinical normalization fully dignifies. The practical burden of injection-based therapy — the privacy problem, the timing problem, the missed doses problem — is a feature of everyday life that large-cap incumbents have largely not addressed for this population.
Introducing the Pivot: Diabetes Care for the Rest of Us
The Pivot tubeless insulin patch pump is Modular Medical’s answer to that unmet need. Designed to provide continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) with both basal and bolus insulin delivery over a three-day wear period, it is packaged in a wearable, tubeless format specifically engineered for ease of adoption. The Pivot received FDA 510(k) clearance in April 2026 and achieved U.S. commercial availability in June 2026 — a rapid progression from regulatory milestone to market entry. In July 2026, MODD filed a follow-on FDA submission covering software enhancements focused on patient customization and user-interface improvements.
Jeb Besser, CEO of Modular Medical, put it plainly: “The exceptionally high level of interest in simplified pump therapy validates our position that many people using multiple daily injections are ready to transition to an improved insulin delivery solution that reduces the burden without adding complexity. This huge market opportunity extends well beyond traditional pump users.”
The Target Market: 4.5 Million Underserved Patients and a $3 Billion Prize
The addressable opportunity for MODD is not theoretical. The company targets an estimated 4.5 million people in the United States living with Type 1 or insulin-requiring Type 2 diabetes who rely on both basal and mealtime injections — the group it calls “almost-pumpers.” Pump penetration statistics tell the story in cold arithmetic: fewer than 40% of U.S. Type 1 patients currently use a pump or automated insulin delivery system, while among intensive insulin-using Type 2 patients, that figure is just 5–6%.
The broader U.S. insulin pump market was valued at approximately $1.55 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach $2.58 billion by 2033. Insulet Corporation (NASDAQ: PODD), the dominant player in tubeless pumps via Omnipod, reported revenue of $761.7 million in Q1 2026 alone. Tandem Diabetes Care (NASDAQ: TNDM) and Medtronic (NYSE: MDT) round out the incumbents — all focused on technically proficient “superusers.” MODD is explicitly targeting the segment they left behind.
Thrivable Engagement: Turning Anecdotes Into Evidence
Savvy investors understand that the difference between a promising device company and a commercially successful one is often the quality of its patient intelligence infrastructure. Building on the initial 100-patient assessment, MODD has engaged Thrivable — the cardiometabolic patient intelligence partner — for an expanded research initiative. Thrivable will tap into its 130,000+ triple-verified patient panel to conduct in-depth engagement with 20 individuals living with diabetes and deliver a survey to an additional 300 insulin-using patients.
Thrivable, founded in 2019, is trusted by leading medtech, pharmaceutical, and healthcare organizations and has generated over 1,000,000 patient insights to date. Every member undergoes triple verification — ensuring data reflects genuine patient experience, not sample bias. The combination of 20 qualitative interviews and 300 quantitative survey responses represents a statistically credible foundation for commercial decision-making that will shape MODD’s go-to-market strategy, reimbursement narratives, and physician education programs.
ADCES 2026: A Critical Stage for the Pivot’s Debut
The ADCES Annual Conference — August 7–10, 2026, at the Greater Columbus Convention Center in Columbus, Ohio — is the premier event in diabetes care and education. For a company in active commercialization mode, exhibiting at ADCES is not merely a public relations exercise — it is a strategic deployment at the clinical decision point. DCESs are the frontline educators who counsel patients on insulin delivery options, coach pump transitions, and influence prescribing patterns.
Given that 97% of surveyed MDI patients expressed openness to pump therapy under the right conditions, the bottleneck is not patient demand — it is clinical awareness and recommendation. The ADCES conference creates a concentrated opportunity to close that gap, with over 3,000 diabetes care professionals gathered in one building.
The Investment Narrative: Small Cap, Large Market, Tight Thesis
MODD stock responded to the July 14 research announcement with a gain of approximately 9.77%, reflecting a notable positive market reaction and a valuation impact of roughly $2 million against a total market cap of approximately $23.71 million. That is a development-stage valuation being measured against a $3 billion addressable market — the math that attracts growth-oriented investors comfortable with early-stage medical device risk.
Modular Medical’s founder, Paul DiPerna, previously founded Tandem Diabetes Care (NASDAQ: TNDM) in 2005 and invented the t:slim insulin pump. The institutional DNA for insulin delivery engineering and commercial execution is embedded in MODD’s origin story. Key catalysts to monitor include: expanded Thrivable research findings, physician adoption metrics from the ADCES showcase, software enhancement FDA feedback, CE Mark progress targeting Q4 2026/Q1 2027, and early commercial revenue reporting.
Simplicity as a Competitive Moat
There is a certain irony in the medical device industry’s history with insulin pumps: the more sophisticated the technology became, the fewer people actually used it. Feature complexity, training requirements, cost, and physical cumbersomeness created an invisible ceiling on pump adoption that has persisted for over a decade.
Modular Medical’s thesis is that simplicity itself is a competitive moat — not a lesser offering, but a genuinely differentiated clinical strategy. The Pivot is not trying to out-feature the Omnipod 5 (NASDAQ: PODD) or Tandem’s Control-IQ system (NASDAQ: TNDM). It is trying to convert the 60%+ of Type 1 patients and 94% of intensive insulin-using Type 2 patients who remain on injections because no existing pump felt approachable enough to try. The 97% signal says the demand is there. Thrivable’s expanded research will tell MODD exactly how to reach it. And Columbus, Ohio in August will be where the clinical conversation begins in earnest.
Straight From The Founder
Payors Viewed The Pivot Tubeless Patch Pump As A Differentiated Offering
As part of its commercialization strategy, the Company announced on July 15 that it partnered with an independent organization specializing in the assessment of market viability, payor access, and commercialization strategies for therapeutic products. The firm specializes in supporting product launches, pricing assessments, reimbursement strategy, and go-to-market planning for life science companies. The objective of the engagement was to better understand payor receptivity, reimbursement considerations, and market positioning opportunities for the Pivot tubeless patch pump. The research indicated that payors viewed the Pivot tubeless patch pump as a differentiated offering within the insulin pump landscape. Respondents identified the system’s simple modular design, tubeless and reusable architecture, 300 international unit (IU) reservoir capacity, and intuitive one-button functionality as features that addressed unmet needs among insulin-dependent individuals seeking a less complex insulin delivery experience. These findings reinforce the Company’s belief that a significant opportunity exists to expand insulin pump adoption by reducing complexity and improving accessibility for a broader population of insulin-dependent people.
The assessment also explored potential reimbursement and coverage considerations. Feedback indicated that several payor organizations viewed Pivot favorably from a market access perspective, noting that its disposable component structure and anticipated contracting strategy align well with existing pharmacy benefit frameworks.
Beyond payor access considerations, the research also explored potential opportunities for strategic collaboration with large healthcare organizations. Respondents expressed strong interest in innovative partnership models that support broader patient access, evidence generation, and long-term adoption of simplified insulin delivery solutions.
Jeb Besser, CEO of Modular Medical concluded: “From the earliest stages of development, our goal has been to develop a practical and affordable insulin pumping solution that removes many of the barriers preventing insulin-dependent individuals from transitioning from multiple daily injections to pump therapy.The positive feedback from this market access assessment provides significant third-party validation of our commercialization strategy and reinforces Pivot’s differentiated value proposition with key payor stakeholders.”
The Sources
Here are the sources used across both articles, in numerical order:
- Modular Medical Research Completion – 97% Finding (Stock Titan)
https://www.stocktitan.net/news/MODD/modular-medical-announces-completion-of-research-initiative-swq2e5bxceyu.html - Modular Medical Survey Finds High Pump Therapy Interest (Street Insider)
https://www.streetinsider.com/Corporate+News/Modular+Medical+survey+finds+high+pump+therapy+interest+among+injection+users/26765 - Modular Medical Receives FDA 510(k) Clearance for Pivot (Nasdaq)
https://www.nasdaq.com/press-release/modular-medical-receives-fda-510k-clearance-pivot-tubeless-insulin-patch-pump-2026-04 - Modular Medical Announces Commercial Availability of Pivot (Yahoo Finance)
https://finance.yahoo.com/healthcare/articles/modular-medical-announces-commercial-availability-121700614.html - Modular Medical Announces FDA Submission of Pivot Enhancements (Nasdaq)
https://www.nasdaq.com/press-release/modular-medical-announces-fda-submission-pivot-tubeless-insulin-patch-pump - Modular Medical Delivers Insulin to First Patients on Pivot (Press Release)
https://www.pressrelease.com/news/modular-medical-delivers-insulin-to-first-patients-on-pivot-tubeless-insulin - Modular Medical Begins Shipping Pivot to Doctors (Investing.com)
https://www.investing.com/news/company-news/modular-medical-begins-shipping-pivot-insulin-pump-to-doctors-93CH-4762691 - Modular Medical Research Initiative – AccessNewswire Full Release
https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/healthcare-and-pharmaceutical/modular-medical-announces-completion-of-research-initia - Modular Medical Announces Licensing & Partnership with Nudge BG (AccessNewswire)
https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/healthcare-and-pharmaceutical/modular-medical-announces-licensing-and-partnership-agr - Modular Medical Company Media Room (AccessNewswire)
https://company-997241.suite.accessnewswire.com/browse/pr - ADCES Annual Conference – Registration & Dates (ADCES)
https://www.adcesmeeting.org/aaStatic.asp?SFP=RVNGQkNCTVVAMjUzOTNAUmVnaXN0cmF0aW9uIEluZm9ybWF0aW9u - ADCES 2026 Conference Overview (ADCES.org)
https://www.adces.org/ - ADCES Conferences Page
https://www.adces.org/conferences/conferences - Thrivable Pharma Solutions – Patient Insights Platform
https://thrivable.app/solutions/pharma - Thrivable Diabetes Research Panel
https://thrivable.app/conditions/diabetes - Thrivable G2 Reviews & Company Profile
https://www.g2.com/products/thrivable/reviews - United States Insulin Pump Market Outlook 2024–2033 (Yahoo Finance)
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/united-states-insulin-pump-market-121300198.html - Insulet Q1 2026 Earnings Results – PODD (Insulet Investor Relations)
https://investor.insulet.com/news/news-details/2026/Insulet-Reports-First-Quarter-2026-Results/default.aspx - Tandem Diabetes (TNDM) Research Report – Competitors Overview (StockStory)
https://stockstory.org/us/stocks/nasdaq/tndm - Meeting the Patch Pump Challenge – Market Penetration Analysis (LinkedIn/MedTech Strategist)
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/meeting-patch-pump-challenge-medtechstrategist - Modular Medical Receives Research Demonstrating Positive Payor Reception of Pivot Tubeless Patch Pump https://finance.yahoo.com/healthcare/articles/modular-medical-receives-research-demonstrating-120000361.html
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