It’s always nice to be recognized for your efforts – and on Thursday, it was the turn of Dmedical of Tirat Hacarmel to be recognized by the European Union for its Spring Zone Durable Insulin Pump, receiving the CE mark of approval. The pump is now eligible for government-funded medical insurance reimbursements, and for recommendation by doctors and hospitals.

Diabetics have several choices when it comes to administering insulin. In the past, the default choice was to inject insulin at specific times of the day, but many diabetics had problems with scheduling, forgetting to administer their dose, or not administering it at the proper time and in the proper amount. An alternative method of insulin delivery is by a battery–operated pump, equipped with a computer chip that allows the user to control the exact amount of insulin being delivered. The insulin is added to the pump, which disperses it into the body automatically, with the ability to manually adjust the amount, depending on mealtimes, what the diabetic ate, etc. This method of insulin therapy most closely imitates physiological insulin delivery in the healthy pancreas.

Most pumps are about the size of a pack of cigarettes. The pump is attached to a thin plastic tube connected to an insulin cartridge on one end (the infusion set) that has a soft cannula at the other end through which the insulin passes. This cannula is inserted under the skin into the subcutaneous tissue. The cannula is changed every two to three days. The tubing can be disconnected from the pump while showering or swimming.

But for all its convenience, there are problems with pumps. It may detach without the patient’s being aware of it; for all its small size, it still gets in the way; and you may not know that you had a problem with dosage until you actually have a problem with a diabetic episode, since, again, you are likely not to be paying attention to the doses, as the system is supposed to work automatically.

The Spring Zone helps solve most of these problems. The pump features Dmedical’s Intellispring technology, which enables exceptional reliability for continuously controlled and monitored insulin delivery. Users are informed immediately (by an alarm) of compromised delivery or other problems. And the Spring Zone is one of the lightest pumps on the market today, with very small tubing – making it much more comfortable to use.

According to Dmedical’s CEO, Hezkiah Tsoory, “the CE Mark approval is an important milestone that comes at the perfect time, just as the company is looking for a worldwide partner with whom to commercialize its pump technology. We continue gaining ground with European and North American market acceptance of the Spring Universal Infusion Set. Our accomplishments in refining and scaling our manufacturing capacity, as well as widening the distribution channels, will pave the way for our next round of innovations.”