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Permalink Reply by Don on June 22, 2012 at 6:39am

Tx for the link. The article mentions that Asante's Pearl insulin pump might be covered as a pharmacy benefit (vs DME?) and I'm curious if this could result in an affordable option compared all the other players.

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Permalink Reply by Brian Wittman on June 22, 2012 at 7:40am

I am not holding my breath until something is fully approved for sale in the United States. Yes, there needs to be a new generation of pumps, and the integrated CGM seems to be the hot ticket, but not everyone's insurance is wild about paying for a a pump and a CGM as well. We need to be aware that technology costs, and those R & D costs are passed on into the product once marketed. The results gained may not be worth the high cost of the product. The approval process is brutal in the U.S, and it should be. Before we become hopeful for a better management device, let's really see what the final result will be.

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Permalink Reply by Terry on June 22, 2012 at 8:40am

Thanks for the link. It's often the financial community that provides us with the best development details.

I continue to be amazed that Animas and Medtronic are so enthralled with pump/CGM integration that they seem unconcerned with what I see as a major design flaw. A pump/CGM integrated receiver will face a difficult, if not impossible, task to wake up a sleeping diabetic due to the alarm source being buried under layers of blankets.

Of course the pump companies love the integration idea since it eliminates one piece of hardware. And many prospective customers now think its a good idea too but I suspect they have not even considered the nighttime alarm dysfunction. I find my current CGM (Dexcom) alarms while I sleep to be one of the most valuable aspects of my CGM use.

Given that, it appears from this report, Insulet's future Omnipod with an integrated Dex4 sensor would satisfy my requirement of an alarm source unimpeded by layers of blankets. The Omnipod's separate PDM could be placed at night to allow me to hear a nighttime alarm.

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Permalink Reply by Don on June 22, 2012 at 9:30am

I agree about this design flaw which the upcoming Animas Vibe does not address (unless you can purchase their Ping remote which would have to be CGM-enabled). Omnipod avoids the problem and I also think a CGM enabled smartphone solution would be ideal for the same reason.

Per my earlier comment, I think I understand the significance of Asante's Pearl being covered under pharmacy copay vs DME copay. If their prefilled cartridges are covered under standard pharmacy copays, then that removes insulin cartridges as a monthly DME expense and for most people this would result in lower overall cost for the system. I remain hopeful that future motor designs and evolving manufacturing technologies will make pumps more affordable and accessible to all.

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