Medtronic (NYSE:MDT) responded to a study presented this week which highlighted usability concerns with its MiniMed 670G automated insulin pump, writing that the company had “made many enhancements to the system since the study was done which would likely mitigate many of the issues experienced.”
Earlier this week, physicians from Boston Children’s Hospital reported that nearly one-fifth of participants in a real-world study of the MiniMed 670G stopped using the system within months of it being prescribed, citing dissatisfaction with the technical demands of the system.
Medtronic’s MiniMed 670G system is designed to automatically track and adjust a patient’s blood sugar levels by measuring blood glucose every few minutes and automating the dosing of insulin. The automated insulin delivery system first won FDA approval in September 2016.
In response to the BCH study, Medtronic said in an emailed statement that the company has updated the software in the MiniMed 670G’s transmitter that sends sensor data to the insulin pump.
When the system was first launched in 2017, it included a safety feature that prompted a “continuous request for blood glucose entries,” the company noted.
“To improve the patient experience, we created a software enhancement that removes all additional safety check without compromising patient safety. All MiniMed 670G systems shipping today have this enhanced transmitter, and we are replacing the transmitter for anyone experiencing an issue,” Medtronic added.
I believe Medtronic’s minimed 670g system needs major system upgrades even with the new transmitter being sent out and replaced. I being one of those thousands of patients effected by the Auto mode issue and now being one of those patients that can no longer use Auto mode for fear that the system will keep my blood sugars at a higher range when it promises to keep it within the “green window” and even after it promises on all the website advertisements and promo learning video’s. Medtronic and the FDA has put strict regulations on user protocols and the pump works inefficiently at its best. Despite multiple conversations with Medtronic over the phone and online Medtronic needs to go back to square one. Sensor supplies are at a higher cost from prior models and out of pocket for the patients is $$$ with deductible and coinsurance. I myself will be calling to change to tandem pump.
Could not agree with you more. As a quintuple heart bypass patient the last thing I want or need is high BG that AM cannot bring down. High BG will cause arterial inflamation, plaque build up After 14 months I gave up on EXHAUSTING auto mode.
What about the Omnipod with the release of DASH this week?