OmniPod® Insulin Management System

Insulet Corporation, located in Bedford, Massachusetts, has announced that its OmniPod® Insulin Management System (covered by us in earlier) has won a 2006 Medical Design Excellence Award from Canon Communications LLC (Los Angeles). The award was in the General Hospital Devices and Therapeutic Products category.
And here is why:

Designers of the OmniPod System used innovative design and materials and overcame a number of technological challenges to create a system that has all the functionality of a conventional insulin pump with no tubing. Conventional insulin pumps are complex electromechanical devices that have hundreds of components and are connected to the body via an infusion set with up to 42 inches of tubing. With the OmniPod Insulin Management System, Insulet’s design team was able to separate the controls and user interface from the insulin delivery mechanism, eliminating the need for tubing. The System consists of the handheld, wireless Personal Diabetes Manager (PDM) which programs the OmniPod with insulin delivery instructions and monitors its operation, and the compact, lightweight OmniPod, which is worn discreetly beneath clothing and delivers insulin based on instructions from the PDM. The PDM contains a fully integrated blood glucose meter and is very similar in materials, construction and appearance to a personal digital assistant. The OmniPod features an automated cannula insertion system designed to minimize the physical discomfort of insertion.

To read more about the system: Medgadget post (July 2005); Info for patients from the company; Info for clinicians from the company…
The press release…