Financial Daily from THE HINDU group of publications
Sunday, Apr 10, 2005
Financial Daily from THE HINDU group of publications Sunday, Apr 10, 2005 |
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Medical & Surgical Equipments Industry & Economy - Health Marketing - New Products & Services Control blood sugar with `smart' insulin pumps P.T. Jyothi Datta
Mumbai , April 9 IT comes at the size of a pager, is battery-operated and can be strapped on a belt beneath one's clothes. This is the convenience that the Paradigm 712 insulin pump assures a diabetes patient, besides the promise of better blood sugar control. Popularly referred to as an "intelligent" or a "smart" pump, the product is designed to give precise insulin dozes to the patient. Recently introduced in the Indian market by India Medtronic Pvt Ltd, pumps are priced at an "initial investment" ranging between Rs 80,000 and Rs 2 lakh. There is also a recurring cost of about Rs 4,500 for fresh insulin supplies and batteries. Explaining how the pumps work, Medtronic's representative, Mr Adrian Gut, said the pump was placed close to the stomach area and can remain connected continuously for three days. Pump therapy mimics the insulin delivery of a healthy pancreas. Unlike insulin injections, a pump automatically delivers a constant rate of insulin round the clock and can be operated by the user. It delivers fast-acting insulin from a reservoir inside the pump to the body through a tiny plastic tube, called an infusion set, he said. The position of the pump is constantly rotated across the stomach area, for better absorption of insulin, he added. Interestingly, the pump contains a built-in feature called the Bolus Wizard{trade} calculator that recommends how much insulin should be delivered to a patient in order to maintain tight blood sugar control. The calculator eliminates the need for diabetic patients to perform daily insulin calculations, which can be complex and result in dosing inaccuracies. In addition, by tracking the amount of insulin still working in a patient's body, the calculator helps patients avoid delivering too much insulin, which can result in dangerous episodes of low blood sugar. Mr Gut points out that it will take a while before diabetes patients in the country to warm up to the new therapy. The company is at present training people, who will in turn act as trainers and explain to consumers how to use the product effectively. Price too is an inhibiting factor, he admitted. But new therapies will be expensive, he said and added that pump therapy was cost-effective if compared to the total cost a patient would have to bear if diabetes was not managed well. The estimated Rs 150-crore Medtronic is wholly-owned by the parent company, Medtronic Inc. The company has been in India for about 25 years, selling medical technology for the cardiac and neurological segments, among others.
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