Partially Disposable Insulin Pump Hits the Market

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The Asante Snap, a new style of partially disposable insulin pump, has hit the market in certain states in the Northeast and will be available throughout the United States later this year.

Manufacturer Asante received clearance from the US Food and Drug Administration to market the pump, originally called the Pearl, two years ago. In the interim, the company refined the device and changed the name to Asante Snap to reinforce how easy it is to use.

The pump is made up of three components: the controller, which houses the pump’s “brain”; the disposable body, which contains an integrated battery and a prefilled glass insulin cartridge with 300 units of Humalog insulin; and the infusion set. The pump body is discarded and replaced every seven days (unless your insulin usage exceeds 300 units per week), meaning that the battery never needs to be changed and the insulin cartridge never needs to be refilled. The infusion site should be changed every three days.

The Asante Snap, which weighs 2.9 ounces, includes an auto-prime feature, reducing the likelihood of air bubbles in the tubing, and according to the manufacturer, it features the largest text size of any insulin pump currently on the market. The pump also includes an alarm that immediately alerts the user to the presence of water inside the device (which can lead to serious issues with insulin dosing), as well as a warning that alerts the user when the pump has been dropped from a potentially damaging height. Standard features include a bolus calculator and insulin-on-board readings.

The pump costs approximately $700 and comes with a four-year warranty and a lifetime upgrade guarantee that allows users to step up to the newest version of the product for $99.

For more information about the Asante Snap, see the pump’s official Web site.

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