Animas, a leading manufacturer of insulin pumps, has stopped making and selling insulin pumps and will be exiting the pump business in the UK and Ireland.
The company will continue to offer pump support including providing pump supplies and upholding its warranty support for the Animas Vibe insulin pump through a transition period. Pump supplies will be available until the end of the pump’s four-year warranty.
The transition period will allow people to change to a different insulin pump. Animas have chosen Medtronic as their preferred partner for the transition. This means that Medtronic is the pump manufacturer that Animas recommends users switch to. It does not mean that you must switch to a Medtronic pump however.
In October 2017, Johnson &Johnso, the pharmaceutical group that owns Animas, announced that they were leaving the insulin pump business in the US.
INPUT, a charity that helps support people in their use of and access to diabetes technology, states: “Local trusts may decide to terminate their contract with Animas and place it with Medtronic. At this point the trust and Medtronic may arrange to swap Animas Vibe users over to Medtronic pumps before the Animas pump warranty has expired.”
Animas states that the closing of their UK operations will not affect LifeScan (makers of the OneTouch blood glucose monitoring products), Dexcom (continuous glucose monitors) or Diasend (data sharing software) products. These can be used as normal with the same customer care.
Users of the Animas Vibe insulin pump should have received a letter about the closing of Animas’ operations.
In the letter to customers, Vika Potarina, Business Unit Director of Animas states: “This decision to close Animas operation was extremely difficult and comes following an extensive exploration of all other viable options for the business. Our number one priority is ensuring you have a seamless experience and continuity of care.”
Animas encourages users of the Animas Vibe with any questions to contact the Animas Customer Support team on 0800 0288039 (UK users) or 1800 812715 (Ireland users).
It is sad that Animas will be leaving the insulin pump business but good that the company has pledged its support to customers through the transition to other pumps.
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