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NEW DELHI: In what is being hailed as the “biggest breakthrough since insulin” for patients with Type 1 diabetes, those suffering in England and Wales could be eligible for a hybrid closed loop “artificial pancreas” system.
According to the National Diabetes Audit 2021-22 for England and Wales, there are 270,935 people in England and 16,090 people in Wales living with Type 1 diabetes, shared a recent statement from National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).
Now an independent NICE committee has recommended that “people whose diabetes is not controlled with their current device despite best possible management with an insulin pump, or real-time or intermittently scanned continuous glucose monitoring, are offered a hybrid closed loop system”.
Hybrid closed loop systems comprise a continuous glucose monitor sensor attached to the body, the statement explained, adding this transmits data to a body-worn insulin pump. “It calculates how much insulin needs to be automatically delivered into the body to keep blood glucose levels within a healthy range,” the release read.
The system allows people to go about their activities without the need for regular tests for blood sugar levels or injecting insulin to control it. Keeping blood sugar levels under tight control greatly reduces the risk of complications such as blindness and amputations.
Incidentally, around 10 per cent of the entire NHS budget is being spent on diabetes, said Professor Jonathan Benger, chief medical officer at NICE, in a statement.
“Using hybrid closed loop systems will be a game changer for people with Type 1 diabetes,” he stated “By ensuring their blood glucose levels are within the recommended range, people are less likely to have complications such as disabling hypoglycaemia, strokes and heart attacks, which lead to costly NHS care. This technology will improve the health and wellbeing of patients, and save the NHS money in the long term,” he added.
NICE has agreed with NHS England that all children and young people, women who are pregnant or planning a pregnancy, and those people who already have an insulin pump will be first to be offered a hybrid closed loop system as part of a five-year roll-out plan.
