Medtronic’s MiniMed Extended Infusion Set Could Improve Diabetes Care Sustainability

An ecological crisis is unfolding from medical waste generated by diabetes care—particularly from the infusion sets and reservoirs needed for insulin delivery with insulin pumps. These devices are heavily reliant on single-use plastics due to the need for sterilized components and ease of use for patients.

However, diabetes device manufacturers such as Medtronic have developed longer-lasting devices that could alleviate part of this problem. One such device is the MiniMed extended infusion set, which holds the potential to improve diabetes care sustainability, according to GlobalData.

Medtronic’s MiniMed extended infusion set and extended infusion reservoir are designed to last seven days, which is more than twice as long as a standard infusion set. A standard infusion set and reservoir last two to three days, depending on the patient’s insulin requirements. This amounts to anywhere from 120 to 180 sets and cartridges per patient annually. If a patient was to start using the extended infusion set, this number would drop to 52. 

“As such, these new devices have the potential to reduce the amount of medical waste by approximately 60%,” GlobalData Medical Analyst David Beauchamp commented. “Additionally, these sets maintain the ease of use and sterilized components that are necessary for patients.”

According to GlobalData forecasts, there were an estimated 545,682 U.S. patients using insulin pumps last year. With current infusion sets, the total number of U.S. sets and reservoirs is nearly 100 million. With innovations such as the Extended Infusion Set, this number could drop to less than 40 million. Currently, there is only one combined long-term infusion set and reservoir available on the market, according to the GlobalData Marketed Products database. 

“Extended infusion sets and reservoirs are a growing niche within the insulin pump market,” Beauchamp concluded. “In addition to saving patients’ time and energy by reducing the number of set changes, these extended sets have the potential to reduce the amount of medical waste generated by the diabetes care device market by a significant percentage. As the use of this and similar devices increases, it is likely that diabetes care will become less wasteful while maintaining patients’ standard of care.”