Embecta discontinues insulin patch pump development by Elise Reuter for MedTechDive.com, 26 November 2024.
Embecta said it will cancel its insulin patch pump program just months after receiving clearance from the Food and Drug Administration for its first product. The Parsippany, New Jersey-based diabetes tech company announced plans to discontinue the program as part of a restructuring intended to reduce costs. Embecta expects pre-tax charges of up to $45 million in fiscal year 2025 from the move.
“The decision to cease the pump program may come as a surprise,” Embecta CEO Dev Kurdikar told investors. “However, it is important to understand that we did not intend to do a full-market launch of this product, as the open-loop product currently cleared requires additional announcements to be commercially competitive, including extensions of the product’s shelf life as well as enhancements in the form of making the device compatible from a bring-your-own-device perspective.”
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Levothyroxine Use Linked to Bone Loss in Older Adults by Diana Ernst for EMPR.com, 25 November 2024.
Treatment with levothyroxine may result in bone loss in older patients, according to data being presented at the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) 2024 meeting. Levothyroxine is a synthetic version of the hormone thyroxine and is a commonly prescribed medication for hypothyroidism in the US. According to the study’s lead author Elena Ghotbi, MD, a postdoctoral research fellow at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland, “data indicate that a significant proportion of thyroid hormone prescriptions may be given to older adults without hypothyroidism, raising concerns about subsequent relative excess of thyroid hormone even when treatment is targeted to reference range goals.”
The study authors concluded that bone loss may be an adverse effect of levothyroxine treatment in older patients, even among those whose TSH levels are within the normal range. “A risk-benefit assessment should be conducted, weighing the strength of the indications for treatment against the potential adverse effects of levothyroxine in this population,” advises Jennifer Mammen, MD, PhD, co-senior author and associate professor of endocrinology at Johns Hopkins.
Skin Patch Could Monitor Your Blood Pressure by Carole Tanzer Miller for HealthDay.com, 21 November 2024.
A wearable patch the size of a postage stamp that can monitor blood pressure continuously could soon help people manage their hypertension. Researchers at the University of California, San Diego, who developed the wearable ultrasound patch report Nov. 20 in the journal Nature Biomedical Engineering that it has worked well in tests with more than 100 patients.
“Traditional blood pressure measurements with a cuff, which are limited to providing one-time blood pressure values, can miss critical patterns,” said study co-author Sai Zhou. “Our wearable patch offers continuous stream of blood pressure waveform data, allowing it to reveal detailed trends in blood pressure fluctuations,” he added in a university news release.
The soft, stretchy patch adheres to the skin and is worn on the forearm. An array of tiny transducers inside it send and receive ultrasound waves that track changes in the diameter of blood vessels. These changes are then converted into blood pressure values. Developers said the patch produces results comparable not only to those of a standard blood pressure cuff, but also to a highly accurate but invasive device inserted into an artery in intensive care units and operating rooms to continuously monitor pressure.
“Blood pressure can be all over the place, depending on factors like white coat syndrome [being in a doctor’s office], masked hypertension, daily activities or use of medication, which makes it tricky to get an accurate diagnosis or manage treatment,” said Sheng Xu, a professor of chemical and nano engineering at UC San Diego who developed the patch. “That’s why it was so important for us to test this device in a wide variety of real-world and clinical settings.” His team now plans to refine the device and conduct large-scale clinical trials.
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eddii Expands Virtual Diabetes Care to Adults by Daniel Trecroci for BeyondType1.org, 24 November 2024.
eddii, a health tech company focused on diabetes management, has launched eddii-Care for Adults. This virtual diabetes care platform, which initially served children, is now available for adults in New Jersey, Washington, and Maryland, with plans to expand further soon.
eddii-Care integrates with the fun, interactive eddii app that connects to Dexcom CGMs. The app gamifies diabetes management using games, quizzes, and health tracking to keep users engaged. Now, adults can also book appointments with licensed endocrinologists, access their medical records, and refill prescriptions – all from their phones. The platform accepts major insurance plans, including Medicare and Medicaid. eddii-Care also includes a mental health chatbot tailored for diabetes challenges, plus glucose alerts for added safety.
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Are we ever going to get a patch pump other than Omnipod in the U.S.?!