Technology exists that can make insulin-dependent diabetics feel wonderful--but Americans can't have

[blondeatlast]

it--and yep, you guessed why (it isn't profitable).

Note: When Medtronic purchased Minimed in 2001, I knew that any real progress in treatment was going to be stymied. Customer service is still pretty good, but nothing near what it was when it was just a few hundred really dedicated US employees. I've been on a pump since 1998 and it's made a world of difference, but I've known some diabetics who maintained tight control who have had pancreas transplants and say the difference is like night and day. It's painful to know that this is yet another promise out of reach...

What if there were a technology that could make people with type 1 diabetes feel absolutely wonderful, completely healthy, better than they ever realized was possible? And what if it were about to disappear? Well, there is such a technology, and it is in serious jeopardy. It's called the implantable insulin pump, currently made by Medtronic. This is the story of four people who have been using this device for 20 years, and their desperate crusade to keep it from disappearing forever.

(snip)

Greg Peterson says, "Before I received my first implantable pump in 1992, I was the poster child for diabetes care. My control was superb, and I thought I was doing quite well. But the day after I had my implantable pump installed, it was as if I were a new person. It absolutely changed my life. As I said to a friend of mine, ‘Holy Toledo, I feel incredibly good. Is this what normal is?' The difference is not describable to a person who hasn't experienced it, unfortunately, but all of us will tell you this: It's a phenomenal difference."

(snip)

All these accumulated arguments support our efforts in France, Sweden, Belgium, and the Netherlands to keep this therapy available for our patients who cannot be safely treated by subcutaneous insulin. Our national health insurance systems reimburse this therapy because it dramatically reduces the time spent in the hospital by these difficult cases.

Due to the multiple benefits in terms of glucose control and quality of life offered by this technology, we cannot understand how it might be endangered. Instead, it should be considered a reference for the treatment of diabetes by insulin. It is even more incredible to realize that these implantable devices are made in the US but are not approved there to treat diabetes. Consequently, the American patients who recognize its benefits must come to us several times per year at their own expense to get them! It is hard to believe that this therapy would not be profitable to its manufacturer if promoted on a large scale in America. Let's hope the rationale will ultimately prevail for a better, "closer to normal" life for many diabetic patients. We in Europe will never, never give in!
http://www.diabeteshealth.com/read/2011/04/17/7124/a-miracle-technology-for-type-1s-can-it-be-saved-/

Medtronic's response:
http://www.diabeteshealth.com/read/2011/05/05/7154/medtronic-responds-to-a-miracle-technology-for-type-1s-can-it-be-saved/