A rash of recent announcements in the diabetes market speak to the brisk pace of developments and keen competition in the field. Dexcom Inc. reported good news in the U.K. and Europe, offset by delays in the U.S., while Insulet Corp. gave investors assurance that it was moving full speed ahead in the release of its Omnipod artificial pancreas system. On the pharma side, Arecor Therapeutics plc signed a contingent agreement to acquire Tetris Pharma Ltd. and commercialize Ogluo in the U.K., E.U. and other countries.

Several companies showed promising results for automated insulin delivery (AID) systems at the American Diabetes Association (ADA) annual meeting in New Orleans. Studies of the systems, also known as artificial pancreas systems, indicate that integration with continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) systems enables substantially improved glycemic control, with more time in range (TIR) and less hypoglycemia than seen with multiple daily injection (MDI) therapy or insulin-pump therapy.

Insulet Corp. received FDA clearance for its Omnipod 5 closed-loop automated insulin delivery (AID) system for patients aged six and older who have type 1 diabetes on Friday, Jan. 28, making it the first tubeless “artificial pancreas” system to get the FDA greenlight. The Omnipod 5 works with Dexcom Inc.’s widely used G6 continuous glucose monitor (CGM) to self-adjust insulin dosing using its Smartadjust algorithm.

Diabetes care will continue to evolve in 2022. New digital offerings and advanced algorithms, along with new product launches in insulin pumps and continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) will power growth in the future, according to key analysts. While many medical device sectors have suffered during the COVID-19 pandemic, diabetes care has continued to grow.

Insulet Corp. reported positive results from a pivotal trial of its Omnipod 5 automated insulin delivery system for patients with type 1 diabetes. The tubeless, wearable insulin delivery system lowered hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) – a critical diabetes measure – in children, adolescents, and adults, and improved the time that patients were in the target blood glucose range. The data was presented at ENDO 2021, the Endocrine Society’s annual meeting, which was held virtually this year.

SAN FRANCISCO – Insulet Corp. aims to get an FDA approval this year and launch its first interoperable device, the cord-free, wearable insulin device Omnipod Horizon. It is designed to be compatible with the Dexcom G6 and is the result of a partnership between the two companies. In combination, the devices will operate as a closed loop system to automatically adjust insulin dosage over time in response to blood glucose levels.