An "artificial pancreas" system to treat those suffering from type 1 diabetes has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration.
The MiniMed 670G hybrid closed looped system, created by Medtronic, provides proper basal insulin doses to people 14 years and older with type 1 diabetes, doing the job of a healthy human pancreas, said the FDA.
The system will adjust insulin levels with little or no input from the user, measuring glucose levels every five minutes and automatically administering or withholding insulin.
CBS News explained that a small catheter is inserted beneath the skin and attached to a tube that is attached to an insulin pump. The insulin delivery site will need to be changed approximately every three days.
"This first-of-its-kind technology can provide people with type 1 diabetes greater freedom to live their lives without having to consistently and manually monitor baseline glucose levels and administer insulin," said Dr. Jeffrey Shuren, director of the FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health.
The approval of the device was hailed Wednesday by JDRF, formerly known as the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, hinting that other advancements were on the way.
"This is a fantastic step forward, but we are not done, JDRF will continue supporting other artificial pancreas advancements and advocating for broad access to this life-changing technology," said JDRF chief mission officer Aaron J. Kowalski. "Next generation systems are in the pipeline that could provide even better outcomes with less burden. And our work will not be finished until we cure and prevent (type 1 diabetes)."
Dr. Gerald Bernstein, an endocrinologist and coordinator of the Friedman Diabetes Program at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, told CBS News he was pleased to see the new device win approval.
"With the development of electronic devices to deliver insulin and measure blood glucose, the dream has been to tie everything together and have an 'artificial pancreas,'" Bernstein said. "The greatest inhibitor has been the complexity of insulin delivery and the development of algorithms that can come close to what the normal body does."
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