# Medtronic says it is 'two to three years' ahead of competition on artificial pancreas



## Northerner (Jun 9, 2016)

Medtronic ($MDT) is just a few days away from detailing pivotal data for its hybrid Closed Loop System at the American Diabetes Association conference. That's expected to be followed by a PMA submission in June, with an approval anticipated to follow in the spring.

"By the end of this month, the end of June, we are going to be submitting the PMA for the world' s first hybrid closed loop system, which we feel will put us somewhere in the neighborhood of at least two years to three years ahead of where the competition is going to be," said Hooman Hakami, EVP and group president of Medtronic Diabetes, at the company's recent investor day.

But the medical device giant doesn't plan to stop at being the first to bring an artificial pancreas system to market. Ultimately, it's looking to create a fully closed loop system. The current hybrid system relies upon two separate products, a continuous glucose monitor and an insulin pump that have been combined to work together to automatically regulate insulin delivery based on real-time blood glucose data.

http://www.fiercemedicaldevices.com...ad-competition-artificial-pancreas/2016-06-08


----------



## trophywench (Jun 9, 2016)

What do we want? - a closed loop system.

When do we want it?  Now!  LOL


----------



## HOBIE (Jun 9, 2016)

Miles ahead of other manufacturers   Good stuff from Medtronic !   It would be good to have a system the give your brain a rest


----------



## heasandford (Jun 9, 2016)

I know this will sound completely pathetic. 

I have been keeping up with the progress of these systems via the American Diatribe website and it does look very hopeful for the next generation (!) However, what I had not realised is that none of the new systems have a separate 'external' monitor ie you have to do everything on the actual pump. As a complete convert to the Roche Accuchek pump which operates from the meter ie I NEVER touch the pump (snugly hiding under my clothes) I don't want one that I have to keep digging out!

Apart from that I want one tomorrow please.....


----------



## trophywench (Jun 10, 2016)

Ah well - everything's a compromise heasandford!

You would hope by the time it actually gets to the likes of us, they could insert a flippin Bluetooth chip in the meter and pump, wouldn't you?


----------



## heasandford (Jun 10, 2016)

- possibly one in my head too??


----------



## Annette (Jun 10, 2016)

Its just a shame that medtronics cgm is so much 'worse' than the competition - according to much (admittedly anecdotal) evidence from the states. (Its all over the DOC over there, after the declaration that a major health insurance company will only give medtronic pumps to its consumers. Another reason to like our NHS so much.)
If medtronic could work with, say, dexcom to make their cgm that much better, things really would look bright for the future.


----------



## heasandford (Jun 10, 2016)

and what's wrong with Roche, why can't they get their act together about a CGM? And surely there ought to be some way of sending the information from a Libre to a different reader which could issue an alert? I suppose at least the artificial pancreas business seems to have upped the game a bit, have you read this -
http://diatribe.org/artificialpancreas#who-is-closing-loop-how-fast-moving


----------



## trophywench (Jun 10, 2016)

Cos Roche always want anything they do to actually be better than anyone else's - Swiss precision and all that LOL

I had the Insight over 12 months after they launched it and STILL had to wait.  And look at the probs people have had with it!  It is actually, trying to be too clever for it's own good and it's failed - because actually it doesn't do anything any better than the Combo in use and it's a lot more susceptible to User Error and damage instead of being the bombproof stalwart we had become accustomed to and therefore expected to get when we swapped.  The damn thing is slower than the dear ole Combo in everything you ever need to ask it to do!  They seem to have omitted to enquire whether we actually NEED some of the things it can supposedly do.

Patti and I sitting at the same dinner table last summer - she'd tested calculated the carbs, entered them and bolused with her Combo before I'd got to the bit where you press the Insight button to tell the handset to calculate - it takes 16 seconds to do that - and it's a further quarter of a minute at least from that point before you have pressed the buttons to accept and deliver - and can zip the holder up again, put it away and start to eat.

Hey - it takes cartridges!  Well obviously that totally makes up for all the problems  then .... Not.


----------



## heasandford (Jun 11, 2016)

oh dear. I do hope I'll get to keep my combo then! Just looking now to see how pottersusan is getting on....


----------



## heasandford (Jun 11, 2016)

mmm, she also is finding it somewhat slower. It must have some redeeming features?


----------



## trophywench (Jun 11, 2016)

Pre-filled cartridges are about the only one I appreciate !  I liked the look of it at first because it is smaller.  However - that's proved to be no real advantage frankly.


----------

