On 7 November 2023 NICE recommended the use of an “artificial pancreas” for diabetes management, meaning this life changing device is now recommended for use in certain people with Type 1 diabetes via the NHS, which potentially in time could change up to 100,000 people’s lives.
Responding to NICE’s announcement and commenting on the benefits of hybrid closed loop systems, Neil Harris, General Manager of Abbott’s diabetes care business in the UK and Ireland, said: “It’s brilliant to hear that NICE has recommended the use of Hybrid Closed Loop systems to support many more people with Type 1 diabetes to manage their condition, and we’re incredibly proud to be a facilitator within this.
“Our mission has always been to provide affordable and accessible technologies to as many people in the UK as possible. By working with strategic partners, we can create more options and help simplify the management of diabetes for as many people as possible.
“We’re working with a number of leading providers of automated insulin delivery systems to provide connected technologies across our FreeStyle Libre portfolio, through partnerships with Ypsomed and CamDiab and Insulet’s Omnipod 5 System, to provide users with sensors that have the longest wear time on the market.”
Jody Foster (pictured with her son) is a Diabetes Specialist Nurse from Manchester who has been living with Type 1 diabetes since she was diagnosed at the age of 21. Having spent many years struggling to manage her condition, Foster was one of the first people to use the Abbott, Ypsomed and CamDiab’s Hybrid Closed Loop system and says she would “never give it back” now.
Foster is now using the first hybrid closed loop system to work with Abbott’s FreeStyle Libre 3 sensor – the first continuous glucose monitor (CGM) with readings every minute – along with Ypsomed’s mylife YpsoPump and CamDiab’s CamAPS FX mobile app.
She says, “Since I moved over to hybrid closed loop systems, I’ve seen a massive reduction in the number of hypoglycaemia episodes I have – I can’t remember the last time I’ve had to treat one. Before this, I’d be treating them daily with one or two episodes a day, but now it’s a rare event.”
Her Time in Range (TIR) has also improved as a result of being on closed loop, and, with this new system, she is now spending around 90% of her time in range, compared to the recommendation of 70%. TIR is the percentage of time that a person spends with their blood glucose levels in a target range.
An ‘artificial pancreas’, also known as a Hybrid Closed Loop (HCL) system, works by continuously monitoring a person’s sugar (or glucose) levels, calculates the amount of insulin required, and automatically delivers insulin through a pump. This removes the guesswork of insulin dosing and can improve health outcomes by helping those living with Type 1 diabetes to improve their quality of life, reduce the mental burden and reach better treatment targets.
