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Welcome to Andy’s Take.
Did you know that children as young as 2 years of age can be diagnosed with incurable juvenile diabetes? They can face a lifetime of blood tests and insulin injections. This week the FDA, in collaboration with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), held a public workshop to discuss the progress and remaining challenges in developing an artificial pancreas that will one day soon be available for these young patients.
My Take is that while the FDA is working to protect your food supply and approve medical products for your use, we are also leading the way - and facilitating new pathways – to create innovative solutions to some of the most difficult medical conditions afflicting the American public today.
The artificial pancreas is one of FDA’s Critical Path Initiatives, a program dedicated to accelerating the discovery, development and delivery of much needed medical products. And workshops like this one held this week provide a crucial forum to engage and connect patients, health care professionals, industry and researchers to discuss new technology and their potential life-saving applications.
It is estimated that as many as 3 million Americans may suffer from juvenile – or Type 1 - diabetes. The artificial pancreas under development could greatly improve blood sugar control by both sampling blood glucose and then delivering the appropriate insulin dose, essentially replacing the damaged organ.
We live in an exciting era, and advancements in science and technology are providing opportunities to create new solutions for longstanding and difficult medical problems. The FDA of the 21st century will continue to protect and promote the health of all Americans, young and old, by leading collaborative efforts to make these innovative medical products a reality of your everyday life.
Please check back here next week for Andy’s Take.
Andy
Andrew C. von Eschenbach, M.D.
Commissioner of Food and Drugs
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