Newer version of Medtronic’s insulin delivery system supports adolescent blood sugar control

A clinical study of Medtronic’s next generation hybrid closed-loop insulin delivery system, sponsored by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, compared the new product to the company’s MiniMed 670G insulin pump. Both systems use the same 670G hardware, but the next generation includes a “fuzzy logic” algorithm to lower the number of high blood sugar events yet avoiding drops to low blood sugar levels.

Results indicate that the new version might help young adults with Type 1 diabetes to better control their blood sugar levels during the day. The trial involved participants between the ages of 14 and 29 and results showed that the amount of time spent in a healthy glucose range with the newer version was up by 10% up to about 16 hours across a whole day, and more of the participants reached a time-in-range target of 70% with the newer version, a threefold increase versus a twofold increase with the MiniMed 670G insulin pump.

Co-primary investigator, Richard Bergenstal, executive director of the International Diabetes Centre at HealthPartners, said: “This age group has traditionally been the most difficult group in which to optimize glucose management and the FLAIR study shows that individuals using any type of therapy, even insulin injections without a pump or CGM system, can benefit from the next generation therapy. There is much interest in the future of advanced technology to treat Type 1 diabetes and the AHCL system is a significant step forward for adolescents or young adults who have a hard time managing their glucose levels.”