Latest News & Views in Diabetes Technology

Insulet Corporation has announced the FDA clearance of its latest innovation, Omnipod GO, an insulin delivery device cleared for use for people with type 2 diabetes age 18 or older who would typically take daily injections of long-acting insulin. Omnipod GO is a standalone, wearable, insulin delivery system that provides a fixed rate of continuous rapid-acting insulin for 72 hours. The newest addition to the Omnipod brand features a tubeless and waterproof Pod which is offered in seven different pre-programmed daily rates, ranging from 10 to 40 units per day, and operates without the need for a handheld device to control the Pod. The product was developed as an alternative to daily injections. Insulet plans to commercialize Omnipod GO in the United States in 2024.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) and Amphastar Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMPH) have entered into a definitive agreement for Lilly to divest BAQSIMI worldwide to Amphastar, a global pharmaceutical company focused on developing, manufacturing, and marketing injectable, intranasal, and inhalation products including experience with a glucagon product. BAQSIMI is the first and only nasally administered glucagon for the treatment of severe hypoglycemia in people with diabetes. Amphastar expects to provide dedicated commercial investment for BAQSIMI with the goal of enabling more people on insulin to be prepared with a glucagon rescue treatment for severe hypoglycemia.

Medtronic has received US FDA approval for its MiniMed 780G system with the Guardian 4 sensor, a closed-loop insulin delivery system for people living with type 1 diabetes. The system, which features meal detection technology, provides automatic adjustments and corrections to sugar levels for both basal and bolus insulin needs. It is the only system on the market with a glucose target setting as low as 100 mg/dL, which more closely mirrors the average glucose of someone without diabetes. Users can wear the infusion set for up to seven days, double the wear time of similar systems. The MiniMed 780G system is approved for people aged seven and above with type 1 diabetes.

Aspect Biosystems, and Novo Nordisk are collaborating to develop bioprinted tissue therapeutics for the treatment of diabetes and obesity. Novo Nordisk will have an exclusive worldwide license to use Aspect's bioprinting technology to develop up to four products to treat diabetes and/or obesity. The goal of the collaboration is to develop implantable bioprinted tissues that will replace, repair, or supplement biological functions inside the body to deliver a new class of disease-modifying treatments. The collaboration will initially focus on developing bioprinted tissue therapeutics designed to maintain normal blood glucose levels without the need for immunosuppression, which could represent a transformative treatment for people living with type 1 diabetes.

Beginning next week, Medicare will expand coverage of continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) for a broader group of Type 2 diabetes (T2D) patients. The new policy is expected to increase access and decrease health disparities in the diabetes community.