Artificial Pancreas: What You Should Know was written by Amy Tenderich of DiabetesMine.com, 31 March 2020 … and is a GREAT review of the technology and what’s in the pipeline. 

The futuristic technology known as artificial pancreas is now officially being referred to as AID (Automated Insulin Delivery) systems, and they are getting very close to truly changing the game for people whose lives depend on insulin.  To date, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved two early commercial AID systems, the Medtronic MiniMed 670G and Control-IQ from Tandem Diabetes Care. Other companies are working on versions that may be available soon.  Meanwhile, a vibrant D-patient do-it-yourself (DIY) community has been developing their own homemade versions that are becoming widely used across the country.

The Players, to date:

• • Beta Bionics
  • Bigfoot Biomedical
  • Diabeloop
  • Dexcom
  • Dose Safety
  • DreaMed Diabetes
  • EoFlow
  • Insulet Corp.
  • Lilly Diabetes
  • Medtronic Diabetes
  • Pancreum
  • Tandem Diabetes Care
  • TypeZero Technologies

There’s much more to learn … please read more:  Artificial Pancreas: What You Should Know

The future of insulin: Pills, patches, weekly formulation could change diabetes management was published by Endocrine Today, May 2020 on Healio.com/endocrinology.

Next year will mark the centennial of the discovery of insulin by the Canadian surgeon Frederick Banting and medical student Charles Best, who famously isolated the secretions from islet cells in 1921. Since then, insulin for treating diabetes has undergone multiple evolutions, from the earliest beef and pork formulations, to the introduction of the first synthetic “human” insulin in 1978 to the rapid-acting and long-acting human insulin analogues introduced during the mid-1990s.

Today, there are six main types of insulin produced by the three insulin manufacturers serving the U.S. market, each varying by onset, peak and duration of action: rapid-acting, short-acting or “regular” insulin, intermediate-acting, long-acting, ultra-long acting, and “premixed” insulin, a combination of intermediate and short-acting formulations, including a fast-acting insulin aspart injection (Fiasp, Novo Nordisk), described as the only mealtime insulin without a premeal dosing recommendation.

“We’re seeing faster insulins that better mimic our insulin production, so it is easier to manage glucose with formulations that last longer and don’t have the peaks,” Diana Isaacs, PharmD, BCPS, BC-ADM, CDCES, clinical pharmacy specialist and continuous glucose monitoring program coordinator in the department of endocrinology, diabetes and metabolism at the Cleveland Clinic Diabetes Center, told Endocrine Today. “In addition to that, diabetes technology has improved dramatically. With better pumps, more accurate CGMs and smart pens that record insulin dosing, we have come a long way, even in the last 10 years.”

Still, no currently available insulin perfectly mimics the body’s physiologic production of the hormone, and researchers continue to seek better formulations that do not involve subcutaneous injection.

Several cutting-edge advancements in non-injectable insulin delivery methods could offer new ways for people with diabetes to manage the disease and better control glucose response. New research from a phase 2b study suggests that an oral insulin formulation is now closer than ever before to becoming reality, and a coin-sized “smart” insulin patch has shown promise in recent animal studies.

A novel, super-long-acting basal insulin — dosed as a once-weekly injection — is also in early development.

Read more:  The future of insulin

A now a spot of happy news for some of us who love cheese: A couple of servings of dairy each day could lower the risk of diabetes and high blood pressure was reported by AFP Relaxnews, 19 May 2020.  New research has found that eating a diet rich in dairy products appears to be linked to a lower risk of certain health conditions, including diabetes and high blood pressure.

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