The Medtronic Inc. has launched its MiniMed Paradigm REAL-Time Insulin Pump and Continuous Glucose Monitoring System, the first of its kind therapy combining insulin pump with REAL-time continuous glucose monitoring program, in India.

The new system, which received US FDA approval in April 2006, will allow the patients to make immediate self-management decisions to improve glucose control after confirming readings with a finger stick measurement to prevent or delay diabetes-related complications including coma, blindness, kidney failure, amputation, impotence and heart disease, informed company officials in the launching function.

The system's glucose sensor is built up to monitor the glucose level of the patient for around 288 times, to providing much better results for treatment using current standards for assessing glucose control including A1C tests and finger stick measurements. The system uses a tiny electrode as glucose sensor to be inserted under the skin using the SenSerter, a small device, making the sensor insertion easy for patients and the device will measure the interstitial fluid between the body's cells for three consecutive days. The glucose measurements obtained by the sensor are relayed every five minutes from a transmitter to the external insulin pump, which displays three-hour and 24 hour trend graphs, arrows to indicate how the speed of glucose and have an alarm alert facility to alert the patient on the higher or lower levels of glucose status.

Research work is progressing to change the therapy towards a closed loop system by transforming the manually controlled pump system to an automatic one, which ends up in a dream project to develop an artificial pancreas for human being, according to Adrain Gut, Business Manager, Diabetes Business, India Medtronic Pvt. Ltd. The company is conducting research to develop a hybrid system, where the pumps will automatically commence functioning when the glucose level is not normal, an Implanted system, where the glucose monitoring system could be implanted in the body and an external system similar to the paradigm pump to work as an artificial pancreas. The research works are expected to complete within five to 10 years and the new product brought out by Metronics is a bit step towards the dream to become true, added Adrian in the press conference.

"We are trying to develop an algorithm to work between the glucose level of the patient and the induction of insulin according to the REAL time glucose monitoring device and the insulin delivery system. It is our dream to develop such a system to mimic some of the activities of the pancreas to protect the diabetes patients," Adrian Gut told Pharmabiz. The company is also providing a software, Carelink, for the doctors from the device, for data management and handling the case history of a patient more easier.

The insulin pump therapy is not very big in India although the trends are positive for the therapy, according to Dr V Mohan, President and Chief of Diabetes Research, Madras Diabetes Research Centre, Chennai maintained. The number of people using the pump therapy provided by Medtronics in India is around 250 at present, and the number is significant as this is the major company in the insulin pump market in the country. The introduction of MiniMed Paradigm REAL-Time Insulin Pump and Continuous Glucose Monitoring System, for the first time in the world, is a big leap of the science world in treating diabetes patients, he added.