FDA Warns of Cybersecurity Risk With Medtronic MiniMed 600 Series Insulin Pumps was reported by David Kerr, MD, for Healio.com/endocrinology, 20 September 2022.
The FDA has issued an alert warning people with diabetes using a Medtronic MiniMed 630G or MiniMed 670G insulin pump of possible cybersecurity risks. The MiniMed 600 series insulin pumps include wireless components, such as the pump itself, the continuous glucose monitoring transmitter, blood glucose meter, and CareLink USB device. The FDA announced there is a potential issue with the communication protocol that could allow unauthorized access to the system.
According to the FDA and Medtronic, unauthorized access could compromise the pump’s communication protocol and cause it to deliver too much or too little insulin. For this to occur, a nearby unauthorized person would need to gain access to a user’s insulin pump while it is being paired with other system components. It cannot be done over the Internet.
Medtronic has issued an Urgent Medical Device Correction to inform users of the cybersecurity risk. The letter includes actions and recommended precautions users should take to avoid unauthorized access.
Read more: FDA warns of possible cybersecurity risk with certain Medtronic MiniMed Insulin Pumps
Diabeloop’s insulin algorithm shows 17-point rise in time-in-range from year-long patient study was written by Nick Paul Taylor for MedTechDive.com, 22 September 2022.
In a 12-week trial, Diabeloop found patients with Type 1 diabetes who used its Diabeloop Generation 1 (DBLG1) with the Cellnovo insulin patch pump and Dexcom G5 CGM spent more time in range than their peers without the AI. The control group only used the Cellnovo and Dexcom devices.
Diabeloop said the real-world results, which were extracted from its YourLoops diabetes management platform, were in line with the previously presented clinical trial data. The company launched the device commercially last year. Diabeloop raised €70 million ($69 million) last year to support the rollout in Europe and global expansion.
More than 10,000 patients now are using Diabeloop devices, according to the company, and the discontinuation rate is 1%. Diabeloop said users have been able to skip some meal declarations, which inform the algorithm about what food they have consumed and still get “satisfying results.”
Read more: Diabeloop’s insulin algorithm shows 17-point rise in time-in-range
New study explains the link between diabetes and urinary tract infections, was released by Karolinska Institutet and reported by MedicalXpress.com, 20 September 2022.
Lower immunity and recurring infections are common in type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden now show that the immune systems of people with diabetes have lower levels of the antimicrobial peptide psoriasin, which compromises the urinary bladder’s cell barrier, increasing the risk of urinary tract infection. The study is published in Nature Communications.
In type 1 diabetes, when the body stops producing insulin, one effect is that it compromises the innate immune system, leaving many people with increased susceptibility to regular infections, such as urinary tract infections (UTIs) caused by E. coli bacteria. In people with diabetes, these are more likely to lead to general blood poisoning (sepsis) originating in the urinary tract.
“We found that high glucose concentrations reduce the levels of the antimicrobial peptide psoriasin, while insulin has no effect,” says Annelie Brauner, professor at the Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet who led the study. “People with diabetes have lower levels of psoriasin, which weakens the cells’ protective barrier function and increases the risk of bladder infection.”
Read more: New study explains the link between diabetes and urinary tract infections
Adults with type 1 diabetes have ‘moderate’ diabetes distress even with CGM use was presented at the ADCES Annual Conference, 2022 in Baltimore, MD.
Adults with type 1 diabetes experience diabetes distress, even with the use of continuous glucose monitoring, according to findings presented at the Association of Diabetes Care & Educational Specialists Annual Conference.
“One of the benefits of CGM is that it helps to streamline diabetes management, which may help to make daily diabetes management easier,” said Katherine S. Chapman, BA, research manager at T1D Exchange, and Caitlin S. Kelly, PhD, a research scientist at T1D Exchange. “We have some very preliminary evidence where we see that regimen distress scores are lower than the emotional burden. But past research is mixed about whether CGM use means people experience less diabetes distress. It makes sense to us that the difficulty of living with diabetes — the emotional burden of having a chronic illness that invades every part of your daily life — would still be difficult even if some aspects of management are made easier through CGM.”
Read more: Adults with type 1 diabetes have ‘moderate’ diabetes distress even with CGM use
The Medtronic warning is a continuation of the warnings issued about Med T pumps for some time. This does breach into the 600 series but again we have known about it for sometime. We know because people have started using the radio connection to the meter as the basis of DIY looping. I know this will cause people to complain about MedT again but the fact is we have known it and gladly used it for years. Without these potential breaches the DIY community would largely not exist.
I heard the presentation by Diabeloop last week, it rocked. I am so anxious for it to come to the US.