The first explosion happened when we announced that Medtronic and Abbott had reached an agreement to connect Abbott’s Libre 3 sensors with the Medtronic 780G insulin pump.
Then you were truly thrilled when we revealed that this new “marriage” had already borne fruit. The U.S. regulatory agency FDA officially received a request to register the 780G system paired with the Libre sensor and release it to the market. This was a very clear sign that the Abbott and Medtronic partnership was not just “empty words on paper,” but that a baby was on the way. 😊
No less attention was drawn by the news of two new insulin pumps announced from Medtronic’s labs:
A new company dedicated to diabetes only!
It’s not widely known that the “diabetes business” is actually a relatively small part of Medtronic’s overall operations. Medtronic also has cardiovascular, neuroscience, and surgical divisions, with diabetes coming after that:
Medtronic’s annual revenue by business segment (in billions of dollars)
Because of this, decisions regarding diabetes were often made slowly, across many levels, requiring too many signatures. That’s about to change – Medtronic is founding an entirely new company focused exclusively on diabetes!
We’ll soon learn its official name. Maybe MiniMed – after the name of their insulin pump, or the company they acquired long ago. 😊
Medtronic 780G connected with the Simplera sensor, smartphone, smartwatch, and infusion set
What will the new company do?
Medtronic’s “diabetes division” already offers a wide range of products – and more are coming.
Here’s what their current technology includes:
- Medtronic 780G – an advanced insulin pump that automatically manages both high and low glucose levels.
- Guardian 4 sensors – while complicated to use and short-lasting, they are fairly accurate and allow the 780G to auto-correct blood sugar.
- Simplera sensors – improved ease of use, comparable to other modern sensors. They still last only 7 days for now, but this may increase. Available as standalone sensors or connected to an insulin pump.
- InPen – an expensive but arguably the most advanced system for diabetes control using a connected Bluetooth insulin pen, CGM sensor, and smart app. It offers many pump-like features, but at a lower cost.
InPen smart Bluetooth insulin injector and connected app
What’s coming soon from Medtronic:
- Integration of the 780G insulin pump with Libre 3 sensors for automatic glucose correction.
- A beautifully designed new insulin pump with a catheter – MiniMed FLEX – a very small pump controlled entirely via smartphone with automatic glucose correction.
- Another excellent design: a tubeless pump – MiniMed FIT – with a 300-unit reservoir, smartphone control, and automatic sugar management.
- A new unified app! By winter, you’ll be able to connect any Medtronic insulin pump and sensor to this new app. When summer comes and it’s time to relax, maybe you’ll want to temporarily disconnect from the pump and switch to pens. You won’t need to show off your pump and tubing on the beach – just wear a sensor and use the smart app. 😊 When the sensor "expires," you’ll request a warranty replacement directly from the app, which will be delivered to your home.
- And much more!
Conclusion
The integration with Libre 3 is clearly a done deal – it just needs to get through endless bureaucracy, first in the U.S., then in Europe. Hopefully, the two new pumps will follow soon after, knocking on the doors of regulators and, ultimately, patients.
This is the fourth major announcement from Medtronic in a short period – and it certainly won’t be the last! A new, smaller company focused exclusively on diabetes could bring benefits to both shareholders and people with diabetes – faster decision-making and quicker access to life-changing technology.
So stay tuned to diabetesABC.com and keep up to date. We’ll be the first to announce the name of the new company, which will become one of the most serious players in the diabetes world right from birth.
