There’s some new know-how that folks with diabetes who use a number of day by day injections (MDI) of insulin could wish to study: the Bigfoot Unity Diabetes Administration System.
The Bigfoot Unity is a “dose choice help system” that makes use of sensible insulin pen caps and a steady glucose monitor (CGM) to maintain observe of your blood sugar ranges and advocate insulin doses.
I spoke with Ian Hanson, Bigfoot Biomedical’s chief working officer. Hanson defined that Bigfoot, a “mission-driven” enterprise, is striving to simplify diabetes:
“We’re actually making an attempt to make issues less complicated. We’re making an attempt to cut back the burdens any method we are able to.”
The Unity is meant to be a really all-in-one system, providing each complete administration know-how and streamlined diabetes provide ordering.
The Dose Resolution Assist System
All of it begins with the built-in sensible pen cap system. Right here’s how Bigfoot Unity works:
- You connect Bigfoot’s sensible digital pen caps to your insulin pens, each basal and fast.
- The pen caps talk with a FreeStyle Libre 2 CGM sensor. For those who wave your pen cap over the sensor, it is going to be taught your blood sugar stage.
- The pen caps have digital shows that advocate doses for meals and corrections, primarily based in your present blood sugar stage and your custom-made ratios.
- The entire knowledge — your blood sugar measurements and insulin utilization historical past — is collected within the Bigfoot Unity smartphone app.
The system remembers how a lot insulin you’ve used and if you used it. It retains observe of insulin “on board,” and received’t allow you to stack insulin unnecessarily. You’ll be able to configure meal-time dosing to work a number of methods, with precise carb counts for each meal or with broader classes like small/medium/giant or breakfast/lunch/dinner.
Good insulin pen caps will help folks with diabetes use insulin extra exactly, however that’s not the one profit, Hanson stated. The Bigfoot Unity system goals to “lower the burdens and steps.”
The Bigfoot app is meant to be the one app you want. Although the Unity employs a FreeStyle Libre 2 CGM, there’s no want to make use of the official FreeStyle Libre app. The CGM sensor will pair immediately with the Bigfoot Unity app, which can observe and show your entire blood sugar knowledge. Even low blood sugar alerts will probably be delivered by way of the Bigfoot app. “You don’t must have a number of apps,” Hanson defined. “It’s all built-in into Bigfoot Unity.”
Streamlined Ordering
You additionally received’t have to order FreeStyle Libre sensors from a pharmacy or sturdy medical gear provider: Bigfoot will ship new sensors to you as you want them.
In actual fact, Bigfoot needs to handle all of your ordering for you. Pen suggestions, check strips, alcohol swabs, lancets? Bigfoot will ship all of them on to Unity customers. “It’s all set as much as ship robotically,” says Hanson, with easily-adjustable automated month-to-month orders. No extra calling the pharmacy to fill a number of prescriptions for all of those particular person provides each month.
The app additionally packages your entire knowledge in your clinician, easing their means to provide you recommendation in your diabetes administration. “We’re making an attempt to combine data that isn’t built-in simply, and make it obtainable to the clinicians.” Customers could regulate their correction elements and meal ratios by themselves, or with the assistance of their healthcare suppliers.
Compatibility
Bigfoot claims that the Unity is “the one [U.S. Food and Drug Administration] FDA-cleared system to help all main manufacturers of each long-acting (basal) and rapid-acting (bolus) disposable insulin pens.” The Bigfoot Unity’s sensible pen caps are suitable with a broad array of various insulins, and the businesses simply introduced that it now works with lower-cost choices from Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk. That flexibility offers it an enormous benefit over competing sensible pen cap techniques from the massive insulin producers, that are supposed to work solely with their very own insulins. The Unity system can also be suitable with extra insulins than Medtronic’s InPen, maybe the most well-liked sensible pen system in the marketplace.
For now, the Bigfoot Unity works solely with the FreeStyle Libre 2 CGM. Hanson informed me that they’re “in discussions” to include the newer FreeStyle Libre 3. No phrase on whether or not or not Bigfoot will ultimately make a pact with Dexcom.
The system is now obtainable on the market in the US, with a physician’s prescription. For those who’re , step one is to talk to your physician. Bigfoot is increasing quickly however could not but be obtainable by way of your insurance coverage supplier.
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