Since the advent of insulin, people with type 1 diabetes have relied on subcutaneous, or under the skin, insulin delivery. But what if insulin could be delivered in a way that more closely mimics the body’s natural physiology? In the 80s and 90s MiniMed developed, tested, and implanted these devices in clinical trials. Implantable insulin pumps were once used by hundreds of people with diabetes, delivering insulin directly into the inter-peritoneal (IP) cavity. While the technology was eventually discontinued, some users fought for years to keep it alive and even flew across the world to receive the care they needed to keep their pumps functioning.

Greg Peterson, a recipient of the implantable pump who continued using it for over 25 years, joined us on the podcast to walk us through his story; from finding the trial to the dramatic sense of well-being he felt while on the pump to form factor to faster treatment of hypoglycemia. Greg shares how he felt incomparably better on an implantable pump versus a typical pump that delivers insulin subcutaneously.

There are two companies working to develop next-generation implantable insulin pumps. MiniMed is testing a new, smaller next-gen model and Portal Diabetes Inc is developing one as well. Greg gets into why users were so passionate about keeping these pumps available and how the next generation could potentially combine implantable insulin delivery with automated insulin delivery technology. This is an emotional, heartfelt, and hopeful story.

All Access members can watch the ad-free video podcast at the bottom of this page. In addition to ad-free episodes, members get early access to content, exclusive industry analysis, our live event archive and member-only giveaways.