Tandem integrates t:slim X2 insulin pump with Abbott’s FreeStyle sensor on GlobalData.com, 9 January 2024.
Abbott has announced that Tandem Diabetes Care’s t:slim X2 insulin pump has become the first automated insulin delivery (AID) system to integrate with its newly available FreeStyle Libre 2 Plus sensor. This advancement allows users of the FreeStyle Libre technology in the US to benefit from a hybrid closed-loop system that helps predict and prevent high and low blood sugar levels.
Featuring Control-IQ technology, the t:slim X2 insulin pump now wirelessly connects to the FreeStyle Libre 2 Plus sensor. This sensor provides glucose readings every minute, which are displayed on the pump and the t:connect mobile app. Furthermore, the glucose levels are anticipated by the Control-IQ technology about 30 minutes ahead, adjusting insulin delivery accordingly to prevent hyperglycemia.
Read more: Tandem integrates t:slim X2 insulin pump with Abbott’s FreeStyle sensor
Vertex Pauses Diabetes Trial Following Two Patient Deaths by Anna Brooks and April Hopcroft for diaTribe.org, 8 January 2024.
Vertex Pharmaceuticals put recruiting for its clinical trial investigating a stem cell therapy for type 1 diabetes on hold after two participants died. Vertex has said the deaths are unrelated to the trial treatment.
Following the deaths, Vertex Pharmaceuticals paused further recruiting of the ongoing trial of VX-880, an investigational stem cell therapy used to restore insulin production in people with type 1 diabetes.
Brian Shelton, 66, one of the patients who died, was said to be the first person “cured” of type 1 diabetes. Shelton successfully started producing his own insulin in 2021, six months after being treated with VX-880. Vertex has not identified or released any information about the other participant who died.
Global regulators and an independent monitoring committee are reviewing study data and are expected to meet later this month. The committee will announce a decision on whether the deaths were related to the investigational treatment and if the trial should resume recruiting new participants. Based on the latest data analysis, all 14 current participants dosed with VX-880 no longer required insulin injections. Though still in its early phases, study data supported VX-880 as a promising and potentially revolutionary treatment for type 1 diabetes.
Dexcom plans to launch new CGM this summer for people who don’t take insulin by Elise Reuter for MedTechDive.com, 9 January 2024.
Dexcom plans to launch a new continuous glucose monitor this summer for people with Type 2 diabetes who don’t take insulin. The device, called Stelo, was submitted to the Food and Drug Administration for review in the fourth quarter of 2023. Dexcom CEO Kevin Sayer said Monday at the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference that the company will start with cash pay for Stelo and will “eventually seek reimbursement.”
Dexcom’s new Stelo device will be based on its G7 CGM. The sensor will last for 15 days and will have custom software features tailored to people who don’t take insulin. “They don’t need the alerts and the alarms and all the activity that we offer with the G7 series,” he said.
To start, Dexcom will offer it as a cash-pay product. Sayer didn’t name a specific amount but said the company would “be competitive” when asked about a competitor’s cash price of $800 to $900 per year. Ultimately, he hopes to gain insurance coverage for the device, but it’s not clear how the price will compare to traditional CGMs. “For somebody on intensive insulin therapy, this is life and death. For these individuals, it is health. So we’re not sure where that price model works out over time.”
Read more: Dexcom plans to launch new CGM this summer for people who don’t take insulin
Higher burden of care associated with loneliness in caregivers of children with type 1 diabetes by Joshua Fitch for ContemporaryPediatrics.com, 4 January 2024.
Caregivers of children with type 1 diabetes (T1D) have a higher sense of loneliness associated with a higher burden of care, a study published in BioPsychoSocial Medicine revealed.
Burden of care refers to how caregivers perceive responsibilities and any potential limitations that can occur in the care of children with T1D. According to the study, pediatric T1D can be referred to as a “family disease,” because of the role family members play in the process.
Adjusting to new situations, emotional and physical overload, working with health care professionals, and a struggle to maintain normality are all contributing factors to caregiver burden related to pediatric T1D, the study authors wrote.
Read more: Higher burden of care associated with loneliness in caregivers of children with type 1 diabetes
NEW STUDY: Diamyd DIAGNODE-3 is RECRUITING!
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- Seeking young T1Ds, diagnosed within the last 6 months
- Ages 12-29 years of age
- Coordinating investigator: Professor Johnny Ludvigsson, CrownPricess Victoria Children’s Hospital, Sweden
- Read more: Diagnode-3 Study
The DIAGNODE-3 trial will investigate whether an investigational drug called Diamyd® (rhGAD65) can preserve the body’s own insulin-producing capacity by halting or delaying the autoimmune attack on the insulin-producing cells (beta cells) in the pancreas. Sustained beta cell function is associated with better blood sugar balance and a lower risk of low blood sugars (hypoglycemia), ketoacidosis and chronic complications.
We are recruiting patients recently diagnosed with type 1 diabetes who have the HLA haplotype DR3-DQ2, a certain genetic risk for type 1 diabetes. Participants will be initially screened to see if they carry this HLA genotype and can therefore take part in the study.
Qualified participants will enter a 2-month treatment period and be assigned at random. The study drug Diamyd® or placebo (a treatment without the active ingredient), will be given through an injection into a lymph node in the groin during ultrasound imaging by an experienced specialist 3 times during the 2 months. The treatment will be determined at random and neither the study participant nor the study doctors know which treatment is given.
Participants receiving these injections in previous studies have described it as being no more painful than having a blood sample taken from the arm, or comparable to receiving a shot under the skin. The study will include a 22-month follow-up period. During this time the study team will monitor the participants’ health closely.
Diamyd® has been studied for over 20 years in 15 clinical trials with over 1500 patients. All studies have indicated a favorable safety profile for Diamyd®, which means that the participants did not have any serious side effects.
Participation is voluntary, free of charge and the participant may discontinue participation at any time.
I am really sorry to hear about VERTEX. I hope it restarts very soon.