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Medtronic Announces US Availability of MiniMed Connect Technology
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The technology was approved by FDA in June and unveiled at the Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association.
Medtronic today announced that its MiniMed Connect technology, which displays diabetes data from an insulin pump and continuous glucose monitor (CGM) on a smartphone, is now shipping in the United States.
The product received FDA approval in June and was displayed at the 75th Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association in Boston. MiniMed Connect is part of a wave of technology products for persons with diabetes that marry traditional medical devices with smartphone or other consumer technology, to make glucose monitoring more discreet and convenient.
Among other features, MiniMed Connect allows persons other than the patient, such as parents or spouses, to remotely monitor diabetes information through management software known as CareLink Personal. (The Dexcom G4 Platinum with Share technology offers similar capabilities.)
MiniMed Connect is compatible with Medtronic’s MiniMed 530G and MiniMed Revel CGM systems. Right now, the related smartphone app works with iOS devices, and Medtronic is working with Samsung to develop an Android-compatible app, according to a statement from the company.
Patients can allow healthcare providers to access diabetes information through CareLink reports, which eliminates the need for patients to record blood sugars or other information between visits. “Effective management of diabetes requires an engaged team of participants, and MiniMed Connect serves to inform and involve people with diabetes, their loved ones and their healthcare professionals,” Annette Bruls, Medtronic president of Diabetes Services and Solutions, said in a statement.
Rapid advances in CGM technology come as pressure grows for Medicare to cover it, as most commercial insurers do. There is concern among patient advocacy groups that Medicare’s failure to cover CGM thus far, enough though it has become the standard of care in type 1 diabetes, could mean the nation’s largest payer would not cover artificial pancreas technology, which is on the horizon. Already, technologies that have been labeled “artificial pancreas” are announcing results of at-home trials.
