The US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) has cleared the first-ever iOS and Android app capable of delivering insulin. Tandem Diabetes Care, a leading diabetes device company, has developed a mobile app called t:connect to control a user’s insulin pump. Before the FDA approval, insulin delivery was handled via the pump itself, and the app could only monitor Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) data.

Insulin pump users will be able to control bolus doses of insulin which plays an important role in maintaining steady blood glucose levels. The t:connect mobile app promises to provide a “convenient and discreet way for t:slim X2 pump users to monitor their pump and CGM data within the convenience of their mobile device.” This will come as a boon for people who don’t like having their pumps out in public.

The app will function as a secondary display to monitor user data, which can then be uploaded to the cloud-based t:connect web app. This means that insulin users will no longer need to plug in their pumps during healthcare provider visits.

John Sheridan, president and CEO of Tandem Diabetes Care, released the following statement:

This FDA clearance further validates our commitment to innovation and the diabetes community by providing one of the most requested feature enhancements. With the improvements in diabetes management provided by Tandem’s Control-IQ technology, giving a meal bolus is now the most common reason a person interacts with their pump, and the ability to do so using a smartphone app offers a convenient and discrete solution.

Tandem Diabetes Care’s t:connect mobile app already supports blood sugar monitoring, insulin delivery history, sound alerts, and alarms. The new insulin delivery feature will be available in the US for no additional cost to new t:slim X2 insulin pump users and to in-warranty customers. The company will be releasing the mobile bolus feature update to select groups in the spring. It will be followed by a broader launch later this summer.

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