Cellnovo

Cellnovo on Show at the Diabetes Congress

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I had the pleasure of reconnecting with the Cellnovo team at the Australasian Diabetes Congress last month.

The Cellnovo insulin pump launched 12 months ago, with the availability of consumables on the NDSS eventually delayed by a month. The system consists of a small rechargeable pump that sticks to a velcro patch on the body, a very short line and an infusion set that sits within close proximity to the pump. The system is controlled wirelessly via a mobile handset. You can read more of my observations from last year’s launch here.

There were rumours circulating earlier this year around the system being unable to withstand the heat of the Australian summer. I was told that this issue was nothing more than a temperature sensor in the pump that alerted users when insulin was at risk of spoiling, such as during hot days at the beach (Tandem’s t:slim pump also contains an insulin thermometer). I believe that the system may have since been upgraded to address the uber-sensitivity of the alarms.

Last year Aaron Crook was the sole sales rep, travelling all over Australia where the demand took him. There are now several new additions to the team. I was pleased to meet a dedicated sales rep for Western Australia, who reminded me that we had met previously when she had worked for Roche (and shown me how to use the eject button on the AccuCheck Guide!)

Cellnovo will soon be rolling out a new handset to all of their customers. The upgrade features a larger screen than its predecessor, and is also much slimmer and sleeker to hold in my hands. I am told the primary reason for this upgrade is enhanced performance. The team are also in disagreement on its new colour scheme, which gets a thumbs up from me.

The upgrade has come at the expense of the test strip port that was built into the handset. For the Cellnovo customer who may not be too keen on attachment, the prospect of now having to carry a blood glucose meter may be a big deal.

For the time being, users will need to manually enter their blood glucose readings into the handset to use the bolus calculator. However I was told that the handset will soon be compatible with a variety of wireless blood glucose meters, meaning that readings will wirelessly transmit to the handset via Bluetooth.

I really like the idea of having a separate handset to control the pump. With the emerging integration of diabetes management into smartphone apps, phone performance and battery drain has definitely been very noticeable for me in recent months. It’s also good to know that I could leave my phone on my desk if I wish to.

Cellnovo may not sit in the ranks of Medtronic or Tandem, but they are clearly focussed on filling a gap in the insulin pumping market. There are many people who don’t wish to take up insulin pump therapy for the sake of attachment and pump lines and weight and complexity.

I feel that Cellnovo is the option that may get many to reconsider their feelings toward insulin pump therapy.

Disclosures: Diabetes Australia covered my travel, accommodation and registration costs to attend the Australasian Diabetes Congress. These are my own views, and not those of Diabetes Australia. My time, including the annual leave I took from work to attend, was my own.

Cellnovo Mobile Insulin Pump Launches In Australia!

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The Cellnovo Mobile Insulin Pump officially launched in Australia last week at the ADS-ADEA conference (ADS-ADEA disclosures are at the bottom of this post). The pump is being distributed by Medical Specialties Australia, and subsidised consumables will be available through the NDSS from October 1. MSA’s Diabetes Division Manager, Aaron Cook, was kind enough to come and meet with myself and a few other consumers last week outside of the trade hall to give us the scoop.

The Cellnovo system consists of a small insulin pump that sits on the skin via a Velcro patch, in close proximity to the infusion set. Tubing is virtually non-existent. The pump is rechargeable, rather than battery operated, with each charge typically lasting 3-5 days. There is a second identical pump included in the box, so that the user can charge one up while using the other.

 

If you know me in person, you’ll know that I’ve dreamt of a touch screen insulin pump that I could control from my Smartphone (yes, I’m well aware of Looping and We Are Not Waiting). Frankly, the interface on my Animas Vibe looks like something out of the 1990s.

So for me, the real selling point of the Cellnovo system is the touch screen mobile handset that connects to the pump via Bluetooth. The screen is bright and colourful. There are menus for insulin delivery settings, bolus calculations, activity tracking and food databases. The handset also has a built in blood glucose meter, which uses Accu Chek Performa strips.

Aaron was telling us something about wax and pistons inside the cartridge (or possibly the pump) that allows for more superior and precise delivery of insulin infusions. Insulin cartridges can only hold 150 units of insulin, which may be a consideration for those on larger doses. I would rarely fit the maximum amount of insulin into my cartridge once air bubbles have been primed out, so this may be closer to 100-120 units of insulin. Your Diabetes May Vary…

There were a few choices of infusion sets, with 5.5mm being the smallest. Aaron informed me that all infusion sets are 90 degrees, which is an issue for me personally as I prefer my 45 degree angled ones. However, I was encouraged to hear that there are options for manual insertion rather than insets. 

Another consideration was the minimum basal profile being 0.05, rather than 0.025. To put this into perspective, my pump gives me the option of delivering 0.300, 0.325, 0.350 or 0.375 units of basal insulin per hour. The Cellnovo would reduce this to 0.300 or 0.350 units of insulin per hour. For some this might not be an issue, but during overnight fasting 0.025 does make a massive difference between a steady or a steadily dropping blood glucose level.

I’m also a little concerned about sleeping or lounging comfortably with the pump stuck to my stomach, so placement of the infusion site would be a big consideration. That being said, consumers overseas are happily wearing the Omnipod tubeless pump in similar fashion. Diabetes Educator Fiona was also questioning how well the pump would stick to the Velcro patch, however I thought that it indeed looked very tough.

Aaron describes Cellnovo as a medium sized startup company. They have been in the UK for around 2 years. Aaron is currently the only sales representative for Australia, and is basically travelling where the demand takes him. I am a little concerned around how well they will be able to handle customer service issues, although I am told this will soon change. Updated: I am told there will be a full customer service team in the office to deal with any issues. They are the same team who looked after the Cozmo pump.

It is really, really exciting that we have a new insulin pump option on the market. I can’t wait to hear from people who do decide to take up this pump, and whether it would be a worthy option for me to consider in two years time. While it won’t be for everyone, I believe that this might be just the thing that some have been waiting for.

Special thanks to Aaron for being so patient with a group of crazily excited people with diabetes and answering all of our questions. No, Aaron does not have diabetes himself…

From the left: Me, Aaron, my friend Tammy, fellow blogger Ashley and Victorian Diabetes Educator Fiona.

Excitement that only someone with diabetes would understand!