Some Diabetes Devices upgrades have been in the News this week  as companies are more than ever clamoring  to provide  gadgets that make diabetes self management easier. Getting a handle on the diabetic life can be quite difficult for  any diabetic and these devices play a critical role in making said life more convenient.

While we understand that functionality is important for These diabetes devices, we do tend to forget some of the other secondary functions that are in play when it comes to designing them for today’s market.

Julie was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of 13 and while she has come to terms with living with the disease, she feels it is her life and she doesn’t want  the intrusion into it by everyone. So much attention has been placed on diabetes lately in the media which perpetuates sensational stories of severe diabetes mismanagement, that there is a false stigma of diabetes being associated with obesity and inactivity.  The self blame game and stares that comes from those people who have no clue as to the diabetes life is a lot to bear and while she does not believe herself as a victim, she just does not feel the need to explain herself to everyone. She is especially glad that the company that makes her CGM, put some consideration in creating a slick, small  pump that is barely visible under her clothes.

“It is just one of the things I don’t want to spend my time explaining to every tom, dick and harry who sees the pump and wonders what it is” she told me nonchalantly

The iPro2 Professional CGM system from Medtronic is a device clearly meant to be A front runner in the sweepstakes to this lucrative diabetes devices market, because it plays a pivotal role for type 1 diabetics who require continuous blood glucose monitoring.

This next generation continuous glucose monitoring system  is aimed at  providing more detailed reports on blood glucose levels, detecting high and low glucose fluctuations which are often passed over by traditional A1C tests but which can nevertheless lead to health complications.

Medtronic states that the device is more straightforward to use than other systems, requiring no computer setup and minimal patient interaction.

Also new to the market, comes (BD) Becton Dickinson’s world smallest pen needle aimed at convenience.

This is from the press release”

“BD is committed to helping improve the injection experience for the millions of people who live with diabetes, as demonstrated by our long history of innovative firsts….“We are confident that this tiny needle can have a big impact by easing diabetes patients’ transition and ongoing adherence to injectable drug therapy regimens—a key element in helping to reduce the disease’s deadly, debilitating and costly complications.”

Studies suggest that as many as one-fifth to one-third of people with diabetes are hesitant or unwilling to give themselves insulin injections for reasons that include needle anxiety. Patients who reported injection-related pain or embarrassment intentionally skipped insulin injections. The short length (4 mm) and thin gauge (32 G) of the BD Nano pen needle may help people with diabetes adhere to an insulin injection regimen and improve outcomes with its comfort and ease of use.”

While these are the recent additions to the diabetes devices market, there are many products in the pipelines of the major suppliers to the diabetes market. Expectation are especially high since It has been recently noted in a new study that increased use of insulin delivery devices such as pens and pumps may help individuals with diabetes optimize blood glucose control and minimize their risk for chronic health problems associated with diabetes.

Diabetes Devices Wishlist

Below are  a few diabetes devices on the horizon thanks to the diabetes forecast magazine, the lifescan Iphone app is especially intriguing to me and I hope to get my hands on it.

LifeScan iPhone App
During Apple’s iPhone preview event last March, LifeScan unveiled an application that would allow its meters to wirelessly send blood glucose readings to an iPhone. The application would then allow users to comment on a reading, graph trends, estimate insulin needs, and count carbs. So far, the company hasn’t officially announced when the application will be released.

Vintage Diabetes Devices

Speaking of the Iphone, Steve Jobs latest creation is about to hit the market, and  in the  throwback 2007 days, I remember Amy Tenderich of  Diabetesmine, writing an open letter to apple’s Steve Jobs Imploring him in his ingeniousness maybe  create a slick device for the diabetes community ala the Iphone. I don’t know if Steve Jobs ever got the letter and if there is a diabetic version of the Iphone in the works, one can dream but the response even up to today is still overwhelming, just check out the comments  section.

Someone sure did take  up the call however to come up with a design for a device that would transform how diabetics managed their condition in the name of a design firm named Adaptive Path and in all their expertise and goodwill,  came up with the CHARMR a device aptly dubbed the Ipod for diabetics.

Where is the CHARMR now ?

A quick email to Julia Houck-Whitaker an R&D manager at Adaptive Path garnered this response

Hi Ronald,
Thanks for your interest in Charmr. While it has gotten the attention
of many medical device manufacturers, and we’re working with some
medical device companies to make a few of the concepts you saw real,
exactly what you saw in the video isn’t currently a marketable
product.
Cheers,
Julia

Maybe someone else can take up the cause until then, the wait continues.

What kind of diabetes device would you like to see on the market today?