Despite the economic downturn, diabetes research and development
continued in 2010, although fewer new drugs and products came on the
market than in recent years. Manufacturers aimed to make blood glucose
monitoring and insulin injections more comfortable with a new lancing device and a shorter pen needle. In blood glucose meters, a gaming system–compatible meter was released, with the goal of
What it does: AmbiMed, Inc. has rereleased the Inject-Ease, which was originally manufactured by Palco Labs. Designed for people, especially children, who are afraid of needles or reluctant
to perform injections, the Inject-Ease is a plastic housing that fits
around BD 30-, 50-, or 100-unit disposable syringes. The user holds the
Inject-Ease against the skin and presses a button to quickly insert the
needle, reducing the risk of injections made more painful by hesitation
or uncertain technique. Spacer rings on the injector allow for
customizable depth of injections.
What it does: The REAL-Time Revel System pairs either the Revel 523 or Revel 723 insulin pump with a glucose sensor. (The two pumps are identical, except that the Revel 523’s reservoir holds 176 units of insulin, and the Revel 723 holds up to 300 units. Both pumps can deliver insulin in increments of as small as 0.025 units per hour.) The glucose sensor is inserted into the abdomen at least two inches away from the pump cannula. It measures glucose levels in the interstitial fluid in the fatty tissue under the skin using a tiny electrode. The sensor is attached to a battery-operated transmitter, which sends information to the pump. As long as the transmitter is within 6 feet of the insulin pump, information from the glucose sensor will be displayed on the pump’s screen in real time. However, to use the pump’s bolus-calculator program to help determine how much insulin to administer, if any, the user must check his blood glucose level with a conventional meter and enter the result.
The REAL-Time Revel System offers a series of customizable alerts, including alerts for high or low glucose targets set by the user, and rate-of-change alerts that let the user know when his glucose level is changing quickly. The pump can also display 3-, 6-, 12-, and 24-hour graphs of glucose levels. Both the infusion set for the pump and the glucose sensor must be replaced every three days.
What it does: Prodigy’s IQ Patch includes a 200-unit insulin reservoir that attaches to the body with an adhesive. Basal insulin is delivered through a needle on the back of the Patch; bolus insulin is delivered by sliding a blue “activator” on the corner of the Patch that releases one unit of insulin at a time. The IQ Patch is waterproof and tubeless; it can be attached to the body continuously for three days, after which the Patch must be replaced, just like a standard infusion set.
Availability: The Prodigy IQ Patch is expected to be available in March 2011.
