In a surprise move on September 28, 2016, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave its nod to marketing ‘Artificial Pancreas’ for monitoring blood glucose levels in the body and providing the required insulin.
Medtronic is marketing the ‘Artificial Pancreas’ known as MiniMed 670G. The device has now been approved for children 14 years and older.
The system includes an insulin pump attached to the body, a sensor that measures blood glucose levels below the skin, and an infusion patch with a catheter that provides insulin.
The ‘Artificial Pancreas’ is a lifesaver for the 5% of the 29 million Americans who suffer from type 1 diabetes. The patients now can just strap on this device and it will monitor the blood glucose levels continuously. Any drop in blood sugar levels will inform the patient who will then take the necessary precautions to increase the levels. This way, type 1 patients can avoid death all of a sudden due to a plunge in blood sugar levels.
Similarly, an increase in blood sugar levels will be detected by the insulin pump and the insulin patch will release the required insulin to deal with the sugar levels.
Just 2 days earlier on September 26, the Endocrine Society recommended the use of continuous glucose monitors and continuous insulin infusion devices for type 1 diabetic patients.
By introducing the ‘Artificial Pancreas’, the use of 2 individual devices will be reduced to just one comprehensive device that can be worn and will both monitor the blood glucose level and administer insulin based on the glucose level.
This approval is a boon for all type 1 diabetic patients who have to constantly monitor their blood sugar levels and administer insulin in the event of high sugar levels in their blood.
The new ‘Artificial Pancreas’ device monitors the blood glucose and based on the levels, the individual requires to manually punch in the insulin levels through the insulin catheter.
Medtronic will be launching this new device in spring. They hope to base the costs of the new device according to the insurance plan of the individual. An earlier version of this device that is the insulin pump alone costs between $6000 to $9000. The cost of the new device will be based on how much the insurance plan will cover.
Medtronic is now focusing on testing the device in children between the ages of 7 and 13 years.
For now, it is reason for type 1 diabetic patients to celebrate. Finally, for the 1.45 million type 1 diabetic patients, there is cause for celebration. Life will actually be almost normal without the ups and downs based on the blood sugar levels.
