DeGette, Reed Say FDA Approval of Artificial Pancreas is a Major Breakthrough

Washington, DC – On behalf of the Congressional Diabetes Caucus, co-chairs Diana DeGette (D-CO) and Tom Reed (R-NY) hailed as a major breakthrough today’s approval by the Food and Drug Administration of a first-ever commercial version of an artificial pancreas system to improve the treatment of type 1 diabetes.

“This is a huge step forward for medicine, and it will be transformative for countless people with type 1 diabetes, including my own daughter,” DeGette said. “Our work to urge the FDA forward in this process, and to fund the research through the National Institutes of Health, has paid off. I look forward to providing similar support to the next-generation technologies that are also on the verge of improving outcomes for people with this disease, which is common but devilishly difficult to address.”

“We care about getting critical healthcare resources those living with this disease. This is something I am all too familiar with. My son is a type 1 diabetic. It’s only right that we continue to support these innovations and celebrate the improvement in the quality of life for so many who struggle with this disease,” said Reed.

The technology approved by the FDA for patients ages 14 and up is the Medtronic MiniMed 670G hybrid closed-loop system, which consists of insulin pumps, continuous glucose monitors and software to automate the delivery insulin as needed, as a healthy pancreas does.

For the past five years, DeGette and Reed have been urging the FDA to expedite review of the technology. In addition, they worked to support and expand the Special Diabetes Program at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which has funded artificial pancreas research. The SDP was reauthorized in 2013 and is due for reauthorization in 2017; DeGette and Reed are urging their colleagues to approve it.