So, I told her that I would investigate to determine if Medtronic now had a colored screen. I told her that Medtronic was to have a new pump in the US in 2016 that would have such a screen but I wasn't sure they had one now.
I realize that this discussion is about the Animas Vibe and I have no intention of making it about Medtronic pumps. But I figured it was best to reply to the above directly and to provide potentially too much info rather than to be too vague.
No, Medtronic does not currently offer a pump with a color screen in the US.
Aside from some test studies in the US ... which I think are already finishing up ... their newest pump, the Minimed 640G, is only available outside the US. You can find more information about that at the links below:
Medtronic 640G - Official Details and photos (TuDiabetes discussion)
article on 640G on diaTribe.org
For whatever it's worth, here is a list of some aspects of the upcoming 640G pump which I think might be of interest to Animas users. I base it on what I think I read in the marketing materials from Medtronic Australasia. If nothing else, it might be of interest as an indication as to how Medtronic is responding to the other pumps such as the Animas.
- Full-color, auto-brightness display
- Remote Bolusing. The (included?) Bayer Contour Next LINK 2.4 meter can send bolus commands to the pump. (I have no idea what this interface is actually like or how much flexibility it allows.)
- Louder, volume-adjustable alerts
- Waterproof at 3.6 meters for up to 24 hours
- Intuitive screen navigation
(I'm just copying what it says in their brochure. Note: This is still NOT a touch screen device. ;-)
In my opinion, Medtronic continues to try to catch up with Dexcom and has several updates (improvements) to its CGM devices in it's pipeline. How much of a difference there will be I await to see with bated breath.
While it indeed seems possible that the 640G might be available in the US in 2016, I am not sure how early in 2016 this could happen. I don't think you should expect it to be available sooner than the end of next year.
The US availability probably depends on how much bureaucratic infrastructure now exists at the FDA for devices such as the 640G which can turn themselves off & on based on external CGM data. My speculation is that one of the reasons the (current) MiniMed 530G took so long to be approved was because the FDA felt it had no precedent to base their decisions on.
The bottom line as I see it is that if you need a CGM capable pump with a color screen right now, then you have to convince your doctor to go with either the Animas Vibe or the T-Slim. The 640G is not going to be an option in the US for a while yet.
-iJohn
T1 LADA since ~1978; first pump 1997: Minimed 507; currently: Paradigm 723 + CGM