Suggestions are that Johnson & Johnson may be planning to “divest” their Diabetes Technology Division (Animas, One Touch). There are also rumours (on another site) that Tandem are in financial trouble and may be about the file for bankruptcy.
That could mean two pump manufacturers out of the game and a major difficulty for Dexcom as it would leave Medtronic with a huge share of the market.
Links below
That’s rather upsetting for me. I just got my animas vibe and rather enjoy it. Perhaps if the big companies made these items actually affordable to the regular person, rather than being required to beg insurance etc. for financial assistance, they could have had a larger consumer population and not be in such a situation.
Can I expect a flash sale on pump consumables soon?
I really like (NOT!) this line:
“J&J is seeking strategic options for its diabetes care division …”
I can’t help but think that UHC’s monopolistic arrangement with Medtronic played into this a wee bit…
Let’s hope Insulet isn’t next in line to go under. 
It feels like Medtronic is going to s*rew us all in the end.
To be fair, it may be more pertinent that Animas has been selling what is basically the same pump model for at least 10 years. The future is clearly going to be increasing AP integration (hybrid closed loop). The Vibe is just a pump plus what is essentially a virtually stand-alone receiver, packaged into a single box. The Vibe+ will be the same except with BT capability for the Dexcom G5. Animas supposedly have a pump with predictive low glucose suspend in the pipeline, but when I talked to their reps they had little or no details.
At the end of this month, I will be attending a one-day conference on pump and CGM technology that is aimed almost exclusively at health care professionals and doctors. I will try to chat up the Animas reps.
I’d give my left ovary to attend that conference with you!
I will be attending as a representative of IPAG
Not meaning to be presumptuous, but thank you in advance for keeping us posted!
I sometimes wonder if J&J might buy one of the groups that seem to be pretty far along the AP path (iLet, Big Foot, etc.). This would allow them to leap-frog over their internal slowness to roll out a next gen product.
Strictly anecdotal, but I have a very well-to-do friend who uses Medtronic products and used to own a sizable chunk of their stock. A year or so back he dumped the stock because of his disgust with their business practices, particularly in the third world.
My endo pushes very hard for patients to go with medtronic, I swear she gets kickbacks. But she is NOT the PWD who has to live with the products 24/7. I hope we are not all reduced to one company’s pump. It would be like saying we all have to drink one flavour of pop.
Trabant anyone?
Do you mind sharing some details about these practices? I am a fairly socially conscious consumer (and operate on the starting assumption that corporations are a necessary evil that we need to keep a watchful eye on) , but I have to admit I have not come across such information. Would like to know more. Thanks.
Let’s get some venture capital and investors and buy it. Is there any doubt that the people on this forum could make the world’s best pump?
The conversation took place a year and a half ago and I don’t remember specifics (not that he went into that much detail tp begin with). It had something to do with monopolistic practices, e.g., refusing to allow the product(s) into countries that wouldn’t enact laws preventing anyone else from introducing competing products. That sort of thing. Essentially holding the citizens of poor countries hostage for preferential business treatment. I clearly recall that he was angry enough to divest himself of all his stock in a company whose praises he had previously been singing.
Sounds like something Medtronic would do. Not very different from their “arrangement” with UHC. Despicable!
I got $50 on it
Count me in for $50, too.
I think we’re about there…