Life changing diabetes monitors available in the UK

[gazza619]

Wearable glucose monitors will be made available to tens of thousands more people with type 1 diabetes from April 2019, NHS England has announced.
Its decision comes after an investigation found patients in some areas of the country were being denied access to the device.
It reduces the need for finger-***** blood tests and helps people with diabetes to manage their condition.
Diabetes charities called the change of policy a huge step forward.
In England, around 300,000 people have type 1 diabetes.
The Freestyle Libre flash glucose monitoring system, used by Prime Minister Theresa May, who has the autoimmune condition, was made available on the NHS last November.
But recent research suggested only 3-5% of type 1 patients in England had access to the monitors on the NHS, when 20-25% were eligible.
This was because some local clinical commissioning groups decided not to prioritise funding of the devices.
NHS England said the device would now be funded to allow access throughout the country in all 195 clinical commissioning groups, benefiting a target of about a quarter of people with type 1 diabetes.
How does it work?
The glucose monitoring device uses a tiny sensor inserted under the skin of the arm which is connected to a small transmitter patch on the surface of the skin.
The sensor reads blood sugar levels from fluid just beneath the skin and transmits them wirelessly to a display on a portable reader held near the sensor.
The technology reduces the need for finger-***** blood tests and can make it much easier for people with diabetes to manage their condition.
'It's like swiping a contactless bank card'
BBC journalist Lauren Turner has had type 1 diabetes for 14 years and has tried using a flash glucose monitor.
"I've used the Libre and compared to *****ing my fingers (which I do about eight to 10 times a day), it's revolutionary," she says.
"I'm now waiting to find out when I can get it on prescription.
"It doesn't work for everyone - some prefer to use other systems, like continuous glucose monitors.
"But for me, what's most helpful is seeing the last eight hours of data, in the form of a graph.
"You also get an arrow showing whether your levels are going up or down or staying roughly the same.
"That's a world away from just getting a number on your monitor when you finger *****, with no clue as to what the bigger picture is.
"I find it more convenient too, as you can scan over the top of clothes - it's like swiping a contactless bank card.
"And then there's the fact my poor finger tips, which bear the scars of thousands of ****** from over the years, get a break.
"Another surprising benefit is that you can easily spot other people with diabetes - making you feel you're not alone dealing with this lifelong condition."
Chris Askew, chief executive of Diabetes UK, said the announcement would be "welcome news to the many thousands of people with type 1 diabetes whose lives will now be changed for the better by access to flash glucose monitoring".
Simon Stevens, chief executive of NHS England, said digital health and technology would be at the heart of NHS England's long-term plan.
"NHS England is taking important action so that regardless of where you live, if you're a patient with type 1 diabetes you can reap the benefits of this life-improving technology."
'More convenient'
Karen Addington, chief executive of type 1 diabetes charity JDRF, said: "This should end the inequality of people being refused access to this life-changing type 1 diabetes technology depending on where they happen to live."
But she said training should be provided to make sure all healthcare professionals knew how to support people using the device.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: "Rolling out these monitors will not only make life more convenient, it will save the NHS time and resources by preventing people becoming ill in the first place.
"I want to see innovations like these become commonplace in our healthcare system so millions of people across the country stay out of hospital and can get on with their lives."

Diabetes glucose monitors 'available to thousands more' http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-46198366

 

[sweep_shot]

A scientist has been awarded £2m compensation by the UK's highest court for his invention of pioneering technology to test blood sugar levels nearly 40 years ago.

Professor Ian Shanks developed the system, used by many diabetics, while working for Unilever in the 1980s.

The rights to his invention belonged to the company and until now he was not entitled to a share of the benefits.

Prof Shanks said he was relieved by the result, after a 13-year legal battle.

While working for a subsidiary of multinational giant Unilever in Bedfordshire in 1982, Prof Shanks developed new technology to measure the concentration of glucose in blood and other liquids.

Using plastic film and glass slides from his daughter's toy microscope kit and bulldog clips to hold it together, he built the first prototype of what is now known as the electrochemical capillary fill device (ECFD).

His ECFD technology eventually appeared in most glucose testing products, which are used by diabetics to monitor their condition.

'Thirteen-year slog'
Prof Shanks first applied for compensation in 2006 but lost every step in his legal battle until it reached the Supreme Court.

On Wednesday, the court unanimously ruled that Prof Shanks's invention had provided his former employer with an "outstanding benefit" for which he should receive compensation.

Judge Lord Kitchin said the rewards Unilever enjoyed "were substantial and significant" and Prof Shanks was entitled to a "fair share" of the company's net benefit of around £24m from the patents.

Speaking after the ruling, Prof Shanks, who lives near Dundee, said he was pleased his "13-year slog" to get compensation was over.

However, the 72-year-old told the BBC the legal battle was not "without its costs" and had caused him a great deal of stress.

"In 2007 I had a heart attack - which wasn't at all helped by the strain I was under," he added.

However, he said his persistence was driven by a desire to help future inventors, rather than for his own financial reward, adding that most of the compensation would go towards his legal costs.

"I would much prefer that employee inventors believe that if they do something that turns out to be really profitable and significant, they may actually stand a chance of getting an award," he said.

When he first applied for compensation, he said not one employee inventor had benefitted from the provisions of the Patents Act, introduced 30 years earlier.

The Act entitles workers who invent something from which their employer gains an "outstanding benefit" to a "fair share" of these benefits.

Prof Shanks added that he felt great pride for his invention which he said had probably helped several hundred million people living with diabetes.

Outlining the background to the case, Lord Kitchin said Prof Shanks accepted that the rights to his inventions belonged to Unilever, but argued that he was still entitled to compensation.

The judge said Prof Shanks' ECFD technology became something most significant companies in the field were willing to pay millions of pounds to use.

Prof Shanks had argued at an earlier hearing that, while Unilever ultimately received around £24m from the patents, the company could have earned royalties for "as much as one billion US dollars" had his invention been "fully exploited".

A spokesperson for Unilever told the Guardian the company was "disappointed" with the decision to award Dr Shanks "a share of the licence revenue obtained by Unilever in addition to the salary, bonuses and benefits he was compensated with while employed to develop new products for the business."

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-50156965.