The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is recommending the use of official hybrid closed loop systems to help patients with type 1 diabetes manage their blood glucose levels.
In the draft guidance, an independent NICE committee has recommended the use of hybrid closed loop systems for managing blood glucose levels in type 1 diabetes – technology that has been described as a step towards an artificial pancreas. This will allow around 105,000 people in England to go about their lives without having to continually monitor their blood glucose levels.
Hybrid closed loop systems use a continuous glucose monitor sensor that is attached to the body. This transmits data to a body-worn insulin pump. The pump uses the data collected to run a mathematical calculation to determine how much insulin needs to be delivered via the pump to ensure healthy blood glucose levels are maintained.
A pilot into the hybrid closed loop system was carried out in England across a number of NHS diabetes centres, with the results informing NICE’s recommendations.
People who are unable to control their condition, even when using an insulin pump or real-time or intermittently scanned continuous glucose monitoring, could benefit from this technology. In addition, people with type 1 diabetes and who are pregnant or planning to get pregnant are also eligible for this technology.
The draft recommendations require NHS England to agree on a cost-effective price for the systems on behalf of relevant health bodies. At present, the average annual cost for the technology is £5,744, which is higher than what NICE considers a cost-effective use of NHS resources.
A consultation has begun on the draft recommendations and consultees can have their say via nice.org.uk until Tuesday 31 January 2023.
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