The FDA has cleared the first app that integrates glucose data with multiple daily injection (MDI) insulin dosing for people with diabetes. 

The MiniMed Go Smart MDI system, from Medtronic Diabetes, is indicated for people with insulin-treated type 1 or type 2 diabetes aged 7 years and older who use injections and for those aged 2-6 years under adult supervision. It connects Medtronic’s InPen “ smart insulin pen“ with Abbott’s Instinct continuous glucose sensor. Compatibility of the system with Medtronic’s 15-day Simplera sensor is under FDA review. 

Features include real-time glucose data, dose calculations, missed dose alerts, and “actionable guidance,” according to a Medtronic statement. The app works with most major smartphones. 

As with most current pump-based automated insulin delivery (AID) systems, the user must signal when they are about to have a meal. With MiniMed Go, they can select from three different “Meal Therapy” modes: carb counting, fixed dose, or meal estimation. 

The system identifies missed meal doses or miscalculations by tracking rapid rises in glucose. It uses algorithms to detect consistent glucose trends that indicate food intake, along with personal settings and active insulin from previous doses to determine if a safe “correction” bolus is needed to bring glucose levels back into target range. 

About 15 million people worldwide with diabetes use multiple daily injections rather than an insulin pump. “For too long, people using injections have carried the weight of diabetes management without access to the algorithms that make [AID] systems so powerful,” said Que Dallara, executive vice president and president of Medtronic Diabetes Operating Unit and CEO-designate of MiniMed. 

The MiniMed Go brings “the smarts of an AID system to individuals who prefer an insulin pen,” Dallara added. 

Miriam E. Tucker is a freelance journalist based in the Washington DC area. She is a regular contributor to Medscape, with other work appearing in the Washington Post, NPR’s Shots blog, and Diatribe. She is on X (formerly Twitter) @MiriamETucker and BlueSky @miriametucker.bsky.social