The insulin kit of an American patient (illustration). - AFP

Doctors and patients alerted Tuesday on the risk of a momentary disruption in the manufacture of a vital insulin pump for certain type 1 diabetics, including some in Charente-Maritime, they told AFP in La Rochelle.

While a meeting on this subject has just taken place at the Ministry of Health, Eric Renard, president of the association of doctors Evadiac (EVAluation in Diabetes treatment with Active Implants) welcomed an "advance notable ”towards a“ solution ”.

But this head of the Endocrinology-Diabetology-Nutrition department of the Montpellier CHU, who follows 80 affected patients out of 250 in France, regretted the delays to be expected in the supply of these pumps: "For 10% of patients, this is vital, unless you are permanently hospitalized, ”he told AFP.

Two companies ready to take over the patent… in 2023

The concern of doctors and patients arose a few months ago when the American company Medtronic, world leader in medical technologies according to its website, decided to stop the manufacture of its pumps in 2020. These latter, implanted in the abdomen, lead to a normal life for patients for whom, according to them, "there is no other treatment". A collective has risen to demand the continuation of production.

Last week, Medtronic "renewed its commitment to supply 50 pumps by July 2020" and "do everything possible to resolve supply tensions," according to a spokesman for the Ministry of Health at AFP. But according to Professor Renard, two companies ready to take over the Medtronic patent "say they can be ready in 2023 ... There is no solution before 2023", he regretted.

Alexandra Rousseau, 48, from Sainte-Soulle (Cahrente-Maritime), founder of the collective of implanted diabetics, raised a cry of alarm with the press, believing that Medtronic was not "meeting its commitments" in the supply of pumps. The patent has been assigned, but she said, manufacturing can only begin in 2023 when "we have an emergency."

  • Health
  • Society
  • Diabetes