Tech

YpsoPump Lanches In Australia!

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Did you just say that we’re getting a pump?

Yes.

To keep?

Yes. If you’re going to write about it, you need to know all of the facts.

All of the other bloggers were convinced that I must have misunderstood Ypsomed Australia’s General Manager, James Mayjor. I was convinced that perhaps he was just leading me on.

I walked away with the brand new YpsoPump, that officially launched in Australia today. Consumables are listed on the NDSS, meaning that Ypsopumpers will be able to access subsidised supplies just like any other pump.

I believe that a large group of Diabetes Educators will also be coming to Sydney for pump training over the next two days, so if you are thinking of starting on the Ypsopump there’s a good chance you’ll be able to find a trained CDE near you.

So, disclosures. My Life Diabetes Care covered my travel expenses and accommodation in Sydney to attend the launch of the Ypsopump. The team from My Life Diabetes Care kindly gave us a platform for the consumer voice to be heard, as well as hearing all sorts of crazy dinner conversations last night! If that wasn’t generous enough already, I was also given a Ypsopump, some infusion sets, reservoirs, pump cases and an inserter to trial.

So before you read any further, there is a pretty big bias in place. However My Life Diabetes Care have not paid for my time or my words which are, as always, my own.

First up, hooray for new pump choices in Australia!

Secondly, I honestly cannot believe just how sleek and lightweight the Ypsopump is compared to my chunky Animas Vibe that’s looking increasingly like something from the last decade. The My Life Diabetes Care team did highlight that the Ypsopump had been designed to fill the gap in a market filled with complex, medical looking devices.

I was also most impressed to hear about the My Life Diabetes Care portfolio of products, which included things like needles, pen injectors and blood glucose monitoring for people on Multiple Daily Injections and Structured Blood Glucose Monitoring. The tech is not for everyone, and offering choice to consumers is extremely important.

The pump is touch screen, although not a full colour pump. The biggest difference to my late Vibe is that the bolus calculator is not contained in the pump itself, but rather done in the My Life Diabetes app. So, I would calculate my bolus in the app, and then administer the recommended dose using the pump. The pump then connects all of my insulin dosing data to the app via a Bluetooth connection.

Infusion sets come in either steel or teflon, are available in a variety of lengths, and also have the option of manual insertion. Another noticeable difference for me compared to the Animas was the lack of a 45 degree angled cannula.

If you hadn’t noticed my enthusiasm already, I obviously hooked up straight away. It’s still very early to draw any more conclusions, but I will have more to share in the coming weeks. For the time being, I’m more than happy to stow my late Animas Vibe away in my pencil case.

P.S. A photo where I’m actually smiling!

P.P.S. Could we have thought of a better product placement? From left to right: Ashley (@hangrypancreas), Melinda (@melindaseedt1d), Renza (@RenzaS), Rachel (@yoga4diabetes), Me (@FrankSita) and CDE Blogger Extraordinaire Jayne (@JayneEdHealth).

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!