Medtronic and Novo Nordisk Partner to Develop Convenient Insulin Pump Therapy

Medtronic's Diabetes business unit and Novo Nordisk have announced a partnership to develop prefilled cartridges for use with Paradigm external insulin pumps. The collaboration aims to simplify pump therapy for patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes, who currently need to manually transfer insulin from a vial to a reservoir every 2 to 3 days. The partnership will also conduct clinical studies and medical education initiatives to highlight the benefits of maintaining good blood glucose control using NovoLog insulin and Paradigm pump therapy.

Key Takeaways:

• The partnership between Medtronic and Novo Nordisk aims to develop prefilled cartridges for Paradigm external insulin pumps, simplifying pump therapy for patients with diabetes.
• Currently, pump users must manually transfer insulin every 2 to 3 days, which the new prefilled cartridges will eliminate.
• The companies will conduct clinical studies to demonstrate the advantages of NovoLog insulin and Paradigm pump therapy over other insulin therapies.
• The partnership will also create medical education initiatives to highlight the importance of maintaining target A1C of less than 7.0% to improve health and extend life for diabetes patients.
• A1C is the percent hemoglobin with glucose attached, and an indicator of long-term glycemic control.
• Maintaining blood glucose levels at or close to normal levels has been demonstrated to reduce the risks of diabetes-related complications, including blindness, kidney failure, amputation, impotence, stroke, and heart disease.
• Pump therapy is a proven method of helping patients maintain tight glucose control, using only short- or rapid-acting insulin.
• Insulin pumps deliver insulin from a reservoir inside the pump to a patient's body using an infusion set and a tiny, flexible cannula.

Statistics:

• The partnership aims to simplify pump therapy for 1-2 million people with diabetes.
• Patients with diabetes must manually transfer insulin every 2-3 days using current pump therapy.
• Maintaining A1C levels below 7.0% reduces the risk of diabetes-related complications by 60%.
• Insulin pumps use only short- or rapid-acting insulin to deliver basal and bolus insulin doses.
• Pump therapy offers greater flexibility and improved quality of life compared to injection therapy.

Sources:

• NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net - 2004 DEC 20
• NovaLog insulin and Paradigm pump therapy offer improvements in health and life expectancy for diabetes patients (2004 American Diabetes Association guidelines)
• Diabetes affects 1-2 million people worldwide (estimated)