Artificial Pancreas for Diabetics Seeks FDA Approval

artificial pancreas medtronic FDA medtech
The MiniMed system could help five to 10 percent of people with type 1 diabetes. Medtronic

A medical device that works as an artificial pancreas to help diabetes sufferers control their glucose levels could hit the market next year after the company behind it filed for U.S. approval.

The MiniMed 670g, developed by Dublin-based firm Medtronic, automates the process of monitoring blood sugar levels and delivering insulin to prevent hypoglycaemic attacks.

The device combines a glucose sensor with an insulin pump connected to a patch designed to deliver insulin into the body—all of which work together with a smartphone-sized display that provides information to the wearer.

"Severe hypoglycemia can have devastating effects on people with diabetes and even milder episodes can really impair quality of life," Pratik Choudhary, senior lecturer and consultant in diabetes at King's College London, said at the start of a 2015 trial of a Medtronic artificial pancreas.

"The more we can do to minimize the impact of hypoglycemia, the better we can make lives of people with diabetes. That is why patients in our user evaluation really loved MiniMed 640g… because it effectively and unobtrusively reduced hypoglycemia."

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The device is already used in several countries, including the U.K., but is yet to receive approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

According to Bloomberg, Medtronic submitted an application to the FDA based on trials conducted on 124 patients. Newsweek has sought confirmation of the application and will update this article when the company responds.

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