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The biggest diabetes tech news out of ATTD 2024

This is a screenshot from a video demonstrating the features of the new Roche Accu-Chek SmartGuide CGM at ATTD 2024.

Every year, the diabetes community comes together for the International Conference on Advanced Technologies & Treatments for Diabetes (ATTD).

In the 17th installment at the start of this month, some of the biggest names shared new studies and technologies set to advance the diabetes space. Dexcom, Abbott, Medtronic and more contributed on their end, while some new technologies are coming to the fore as well.

Here are the biggest stories from this year’s ATTD conference in Florence, Italy. (You can also check out the biggest news out of ATTD in 2023 and 2022.)

Dexcom’s direct-to-watch feature

Dexcom announced at ATTD that it introduced a direct-to-Apple-Watch feature for its G7 continuous glucose monitor (CGM) users.

The company plans a phased launch for all G7 iOS users everywhere by the end of the second quarter of …

Abbott is launching its latest Navitor TAVI system in the U.S.

A screengrab of the Navitor Vision TAVI system from an Abbott video on LinkedIn. [Image from Chris Waddell on LinkedIn]Abbott (NYSE: ABT) + is launching the latest generation of its Navitor heart valve technology in the U.S., according to one company official.

In a post on LinkedIn, Chris Waddell, Abbott’s U.S. VP for transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI), shared the news of the launch. The latest version — called the Navitor Vision — features a range of enhancements compared to the previous version.

“I’m excited to share Abbott is launching the latest generation of Navitor in the U.S.-Navitor Vision,” Waddell wrote in the post. “Abbott is going big in TAVI!”

Waddell shared that the features include stable and precise delivery, excellent hemodynamics and low paravalvular leak (PVL) rates. Abbott built the system upon a proven, durable platform with a future-ready design,…

Recall of Abbott HeartMate comms system is Class I

The HeartMate 3 LVAD. [Image courtesy of Abbott]The FDA deemed a recall of the Abbott (NYSE: ABT) + HeartMate Touch Communication System Class I, the most serious kind of recall.

Abbott warned of the potential for its HeartMate Touch System to unexpectedly stop or start. This recall is a correction, not a product removal, according to the FDA. The company reported eight injuries and zero deaths related to this recall.

In total, the recall affects 1,560 devices in the U.S. distributed between May 7, 2020, and Dec. 18, 2023. Abbott initiated the recall on Jan. 3, 2024.

The HeartMate Touch Communication system monitors patients who have an implantable HeartMate 3 left ventricular assist device (LVAD). Abbott has previously reported that HeartMate 3 can extend the lives of advanced heart failure patients by at least five years.

HeartMate’s communications system works with a controller and includes a tablet…

MDO wins ASBPE awards for medtech coverage, data journalism and DEI

Medical Design & Outsourcing won regional Azbee awards for these 2023 cover stories.

Medical Design & Outsourcing and members of our team have once again won honors in the annual American Society of Business Publication Editors (ASBPE) Awards of Excellence competition.

The ASBPE Awards of Excellence, also called the Azbee Awards, recognize the highest quality reporting, editing and design in business-to-business, trade, association and professional publications.

Medical Design & Outsourcing won four regional awards in the Heartland region, which covers the Cleveland, Ohio headquarters of our owner. ASBPE will reveal whether they are gold, silver or bronze awards in April or May.

Additionally, ASBPE will name national gold, silver, bronze and Overall Excellence finalists on April 18. Medical Design & Outsourcing won four national and Overall Excellence honors from ASBPE in 2023.…

Abbott reports data that backs TAVR, LAA systems

The Amplatzer Amulet LAAO device. [Image courtesy of Abbott]Abbott (NYSE: ABT) + today reported positive study data supporting its first-generation transcatheter aortic valve system and its Amplatzer Amulet.

Abbott reported its outcomes at the Cardiovascular Research Technologies (CRT) 2024 meeting.

The company first reported a pooled analysis from three clinical studies evaluating its Portico TAVR system, the predecessor to Navitor. It showed the safety and effectiveness of Portico for severe, symptomatic aortic stenosis in patients at high and extreme surgical risk through five years.

Abbott reported excellent sustained blood flow and prevention of paravalvular leaks (PVLs) with Portico. It also reported favorable clinical event rates at a high rate of accurate valve matching due to the wide range of annulus size.

The company also had data on the Navitor system, which maintained safety and effectiveness th…

Real-world data backs Abbott FreeStyle Libre CGM in tandem with GLP-1s

The FreeStyle Libre 3 continuous glucose monitor. [Image courtesy of Abbott]Abbott (NYSE: ABT) + today announced data from two real-world studies highlighting the success of its CGM when used with GLP-1 drugs.

Data showed that people with type 2 diabetes using GLP-1s with FreeStyle Libre had a greater improvement in HbA1c compared to GLP-1s alone. Abbott presented the findings at the Advanced Technologies & Treatments for Diabetes (ATTD) conference in Florence, Italy.

GLP-1 receptor agonists, like Ozempic and Wegovy, provide therapy for diabetes and weight loss. This therapeutic class, a glucagon-like peptide 1, has proven to lead to improved blood sugar control and weight loss. The drug class continues to grow in popularity with prescriptions for type 2 diabetes increasing.

Last year, BTIG analysts spoke with an expert, determining the potential impact of GLP-1s on the diabetes market. Not long after, Abbott s…

March 2024: Medtronic AI, Ortho tech at AAOS 2024 and Abbott PFA

How Medtronic’s using AI: Artificial intelligence insights and advice Abbott bets on balloons in the pulsed field ablation battle How Noah Medical’s robotic Galaxy system goes deep into the lungs The biggest stories from AAOS 2024 Surgical robots don’t improve knee surgery revision rates, study says Seize the AI opportunity

Less than a year into his new role as Medtronic’s chief technology and innovation officer, Ken Washington was presenting on artificial intelligence to leaders of the company’s operating units.

One of the GMs stopped him and asked for help making sense of all the buzzwords and acronyms.

Perhaps you know the feeling. It’s hard to grasp how AI seems to be everywhere, with advanced computing power making sense of vast datasets. It’s in the voice assistants on our smartphones, the streaming services on our various screens, mapping systems in our cars, the chat bots who respond when we need customer service, and online services ra…

These diabetes devices are set to launch in 2024

The Stelo glucose monitor. [Image courtesy of Dexcom]The diabetes space continues to innovate and it doesn’t look like that’s stopping any time soon, with 2024 set to be another banner year.

At the end of 2023, we compiled a list of the 10 biggest diabetes technology stories of the year. Some of those stories didn’t end in 2023, though, as a few major product launches loom on the horizon.

New CGMs, insulin pumps and combinations of the two will all be coming to the market over the next several months. Here are some of the most highly-anticipated product launches set to take place in the diabetes space in 2024 — plus some of the tech that’s already launched:

Diabetes launches on the horizon Medtronic’s new pump-sensor combo

In January, Medtronic won CE mark for its MiniMed 780G automated insulin delivery system with the Simplera Sync sensor.

The MiniMed 780G with the Simplera Sync CGM and accompanying devices. [Image courtes…

How GLP-1s tanked and reshaped the medtech stock market in 2023

Analysts weigh in on how the GLP-1 craze caused one of the biggest swings in the medtech stock market in recent years.

[Image courtesy of Nick Chong on Unsplash]In a tumultuous year for the medtech industry, promising clinical trial results on glucagon-like peptide 1 agonists (GLP-1s) created a seismic shift in the medtech stock market, triggering one of the largest dips in market value that analysts have seen in years.

While analysts said the medtech stock market performed well in 2023 – driven by strong market growth from the backlog of procedures that built up during the pandemic and more innovation and new product launches from companies – the fear of GLP-1s prevailed among investors, sending medtech stocks down significantly in the second half of the year, even as top executives sought to allay concerns.

The specter of GLP-1s such as Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy and Ozempic loomed large, casting doubt on medtech’s future trajectory at the end of the year. However, the stocks have almost fully recovered since then. Analysts predict a rebound in 2024, with diminishing head…

Small patients, big design challenges: Pediatric device experts guide engineers on solutions

Abbott’s Amplatzer Piccolo — designed for catheter delivery inside an infant’s heart — is among the smallest pediatric devices ever made. [Image courtesy Abbott]

“What sets pediatric devices apart? It’s about giving children a chance at a full life,” said Dr. Lars Søndergaard, divisional VP of medical affairs and chief medical officer for Abbott’s Structural Heart division. “The solutions we design can’t just tackle the issue at hand — they need to enable normal development and stand the test of time across decades of life.”

Unlike the predictable anatomies of adults, young patients — some barely larger than the palm of a hand — are constantly changing, and those changes need to be accounted for in the long-term efficacy of the device. And though the challenges are substantial, the reward is immense. Successfully addressing an unmet need in pediatric care not only offer…

Abbott and Fujirebio work on neurological biomarker assay for researchers

Abbott announced that it entered into a partnership with Fujirebio to develop a research use only neurofilament-light chain (Nf-L) neurology biomarker assay.

The companies partnered to create this assay for use on Abbott’s Alinity i instruments. Abbott plans to make the assay available to researchers conducting studies demonstrating the utility of the Nf-L biomarker. Research with this biomarker is already ongoing in a variety of neurological diseases, according to a news release, including multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s, traumatic brain injury and cognitive impairment.

Abbott and Fujirebio plan to make this assay available for Alinity i by 2025. It’s the first research use only assay set to be brought to the Alinity i system. Abbott wants to explore the research use pathway for other new biomarkers to support the research community through Alinity i. It hopes to enable the faster development of diagnostics and therapeutics.

Fujirebio Presid…

FDA panel votes in favor of Abbott TriClip TEER system for treating tricuspid regurgitation

The TriClip transcatheter tricuspid valve repair system [Image courtesy of Abbott]Abbott (NYSE: ABT) + announced today that an FDA advisory committee ruled that the benefits of its TriClip outweigh the risks in treating tricuspid regurgitation (TR).

The Circulatory System Devices Panel of the Medical Devices Advisory Committee for the FDA confirmed this with votes registering 13 to 1 in favor of TriClip’s benefits. Abbott submitted TriClip, a transcatheter edge-to-edge repair (TEER), to the FDA for premarket approval in March 2023. The company expects a decision on that submission from the FDA this year. The FDA will consider the panel’s vote when making its final decision.

If approved — which could prove more likely with the panel’s affirmative vote — it would take on the recently approved Edwards Evoque tricuspid valve, which became the first transcatheter therapy approved to treat TR earlier this mont…