A panel of experts convened by the FDA and NIH to try to advance research and development of the artificial pancreas put forth clinical recommendations to ensure the safe and effective testing of artificial pancreas technology in real-life situations.The experts are in agreement that even with the advanced treatments available today, tight blood sugar control remains a challenge and daily struggle for those living with type 1 diabetes. In fact, the majority of people living with the disease are not achieving recommended target levels.
The artificial pancreas is a device that would both measure blood sugar and dispense appropriate amounts of insulin to keep levels in optimal range and would take much of the guesswork out of daily management of the disease. So far, artificial pancreas devices have been successfully tested in controlled inpatient or hospital settings, demonstrating the potential for this technology to improve blood sugar control.Now it must be tested safely in real-world conditions. And clear and reasonable regulatory guidelines must be established to ensure that the upcoming studies advance the technology to reach patients as soon as possible.
Diabetes experts at a meeting convened by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) took the next step in advancing efforts toward the development of an artificial pancreas: putting forth clinical recommendations to ensure the safe and effective testing of artificial pancreas technology in real-life situations.
To help advance these efforts, JDRF formed a clinical panel of internationally renowned leaders in the diabetes field to make recommendations to the FDA on key clinical steps and issues critical to the advancement of studies of these systems outside of the hospital.
The panel developed a series of clinical recommendations that were shared at the meeting. They were based on key areas addressed by the FDA, NIH, JDRF, clinicians and industry. First, the recommendations addressed questions on how artificial pancreas systems should move safely from inpatient (hospital) settings to outpatient (real-world) testing. Second, the panel identified which subset of patients should be considered when testing artificial pancreas systems. The third area focused on how to ensure the safety of patients participating in the studies and eventually for everyday use. Lastly, the panel identified what outcomes should be measured in studies to demonstrate the safety and effectiveness of the device.
Click here for full press release and recommendations.
