Initiatives Around The Globe
In the United States in 2006, JDRF (formerly the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation) launched a multi-year initiative to help accelerate the availability of an artificial pancreas to people with diabetes. The overall goal of the Artificial Pancreas Project is to accelerate the development, regulatory approval, and acceptance of continuous glucose monitoring and artificial pancreas technology in the shortest possible timeframe. The long term goal is for broad patient access and a thriving competitive market for these devices and products.
JDRF's role in quickening the development and availability of the Artificial Pancreas consists of funding research in order to look over the outcomes of patients using the Artificial Pancreas, keeping close contact with the Food and Drug Administration so that the standards of the patient are met, advocating for health care coverage of technologies such as the Artificial Pancreas and working to ensure clinical acceptance of technologies such as the Artificial Pancreas. In 2011, JDRF strongly urged the FDA before Congress and in a petition to issue clear and reasonable guidance for an artificial pancreas by December 2011.
United Kingdom charity Diabetes UK funded research projects aimed at further developing and testing an artificial pancreas device on adult patients with type 1 diabetes.
Several companies are working on clinical acceptance, including Medtronic Diabetes (MiniMed), Johnson & Johnson (Animas) and Insulet. These companies have semi-automated closed-loop systems that check the glucose level using a CGM(Continuous Glucose Monitor), ask the user to confirm the reading with a blood glucose meter and finally suggest amounts of insulin delivery. Some companies are also involved in potentially adding a glucagon pump to these systems in an effort to avoid hypoglycemia. One such company, called Pancreum, has recently won an award for its artificial pancreas design.
Read more about this topic: Artificial Pancreas
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