People living with type 1 diabetes in Finland report improved insulin care through automated insulin delivery pumps

Reduction in complications of the condition reported following study.

People living with type 1 diabetes in Finland have reported positive benefits to a new automated insulin delivery system following a study.

Using the latest automated insulin delivery pumps was found to significantly improve diabetes care, while also increasing treatment costs.

The study included 336 children and adults with type 1 diabetes and was conducted at the University of Eastern Finland and Kuopio University Hospital, with results recently published in Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism.

Researchers assessed the long-term cost-effectiveness of automated insulin delivery pumps, comparing them to continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion pump treatment combined with continuous glucose monitoring.

Type 1 diabetes is more prevalent in Finland than anywhere else in the world, affecting approximately 50,000 people – out of 5.6 million.

Researchers said: “The use of automated insulin delivery systems is associated with improved glycaemic control in individuals with type 1 diabetes. However, automated insulin delivery systems are more expensive than other treatment modalities for type 1 diabetes. The aim of this study was to evaluate the long-term cost-effectiveness of automated insulin delivery compared to continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) combined with continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) in individuals with type 1 diabetes at Kuopio University Hospital, Finland.”

Researchers reported that automated insulin delivery pumps significantly improved quality of life and reduced diabetes-related complications. The quality-adjusted life expectancy was increased by an average of 2.3 years for individuals using an automated insulin delivery pump.

Although the overall costs of automated insulin delivery pump treatment were higher than those of conventional insulin pump treatment, researchers found its cost-effectiveness ratio was only 11,184 Euros (£9,700) per quality-adjusted life-year, which is well below the generally accepted willingness-to-pay threshold of 50,000 Euros (£43,000) in Finland.

This is the first cost-effectiveness study of automated insulin delivery pumps conducted in Finland. The results support the use of automated insulin delivery pumps for patients with type 1 diabetes.

The study concluded: “Based on the results of this first cost-effectiveness study conducted in Finland, a willingness-to-pay threshold of 50,000 Euro per quality-adjusted life-year gained suggests that automated insulin delivery is more cost-effective than CSII plus CGM for the treatment of type 1 diabetes in a real-world setting.”

Read the report in Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism