← Diabetes Connections | Type 1 Diabetes
Diabetes Connections | Type 1 Diabetes
Inside Tandem's Latest: catching up with VP of Product Management Marisa Fienup
00:37:51
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- [00:00]
A
Hey, everybody, it's Stacy. Quick message for you before we jump in. As you likely know, it is Diabetes Awareness Month and I'm gonna be trying something new. For more than 10 years, diabetes connections has amplified stories, innovations, news and voices from across our community. I want to now turn the mic over to you. We are launching what I'm calling community commercials. Short messages from our listeners for our listeners. It's kind of a twist on. And now a word from our sponsors, but this time it's a word from our community. I've got a blog post explaining all of the details and how to do this over on diabetes dash connections. Com. I am looking for 30 to 60 second audio spots created by you about events you're organizing or resources you've got, even products that you've created. You know, maybe a book or a small business. There are some ground rules here. This is community only, not for the big guys with advertising teams on budgets. I'm announcing this during Diabetes Awareness Month, but this is a project really for 2026. I'm hoping we get enough of these that we can run em maybe every single week. I think that would be amazing. Let me know what you got. Let me celebrate you this week on Diabetes Connections. An update from T and Undiabetes. We're talking about libre 3 integration, lumev approval, mobi, tubeless extended wear, infusion sets, and a lot more with VP of Product Management, Marisa Fenup. She's also answering your questions about tubing alerts and shares. What's next? This podcast is not intended as medical advice. If you have those kinds of questions, please contact your healthcare provider. Welcome to another week of Diabetes Connections. I am your host, Sarah Stacey Sims. You know, we aim to educate and inspire about diabetes with a focus on people who use insulin. My son was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes just before he turned 2. His diversary is coming up at the beginning of December and this will be 19 years. That kid is almost 21 now. Oh, my gosh. My husband lives with type 2 diabetes. I don't have any kind of diabetes. I have a background in broadcasting and local radio and television and. And that is how you get the podcast. I like to explain all that, especially on these technology episodes because we always get a lot of new listeners for these and there's a lot of very high interest in the. A lot of the products that we're talking about this week. So if you are new, welcome. We have been doing this podcast since 2015, which means we're in our 11th year of diabetes Connections. And in the past couple of years we have expanded from these weekly episodes into in person events. And registration is open for Mom's night out, Washington D.C. and Nashville, D.C. is in February. Nashville is in March. This is an event for moms of kids with diabetes and women with type one. We expect big crowds at both. So please go ahead and register now while the price is low. All the information@diabetes-connections.com okay. My guest this week is Tandem Diabetes Vice President of Product Management Marisa Fenup. She's been at Tandem for almost three years. She has a long background in life sciences, including at Medtronic. As you may know, Tandem recently announced integration with the Libre 3 CGM and announced that Lumev, a faster acting insulin, is now approved for use in the T Slim X2 pump. But there is a lot that Tandem customers are waiting for and waiting to hear about and you certainly let me know. Most of the questions that you're going to hear coming from listeners in this episode are from our Facebook group, Diabetes Connections. The group I try to post in there when we have interviews like this with the tech companies. So if you're not already there, please join. You can also email me your questions. Stacyiabetes-connections.com and just a bit of a disclosure. I mean most of you know this and I do mention it in the interview, but my son has used a Tandem pump for more than 10 years. He just re upped actually choosing to stay with the X2 because he says he likes having his pump separate from his phone, which I thought was really interesting. You can control the X2 from your phone, but you don't have to. Unlike the MOBI which has no screen. The MOBI does have a button on it, but most of the control is from your phone. I also wanna let you know that Tandem has an earnings call that is coming out in between when I am taping this and when the episode is released. And they also have two big presentations coming up in the next couple of weeks. So we will be learning more about future plans and I will revisit if there are any specific changes, you know, the timeline changes or dates announced and we'll have that in our in the News episodes. And of course I'll talk to Tandem again soon. I would also invite you to stick around for after the interview. I'm going to tell you something that we are doing, I mean Benny is doing with his pump that I did not know was not FDA approved. But it's working. I mean so many of you will know what I'm talking about and I'll come back like I said, after the interview. All right, let's get to it. My conversation with Marisa Phoenip right after this. The all new Dexcom G7 continuous glucose monitoring system is now available. Powerful and simple. Dexcom G7 is proven to lower A1C and help you spend time in range. All without finger sticks, scanning or calibrations. There are so many amazing new features to talk about, I'm never sure where to begin. Dexcom G7 is 60% smaller than the previous generation but and is the most accurate CGM system out there. The 30 minute warmup period is fantastic and up to two times faster than any other CGM brand. And I love the all in one sensor and transmitter. To learn more go to diabetes-connections.com and click on the Dexcom logo. Marisa, welcome to Diabetes Connections. I'm glad to have you here. Thanks for coming on Stacey.
- [06:01]
B
Thank you so much for having me. We have lots of exciting things to talk about today.
- [06:05]
A
We sure do. Before I get started, you are the Vice President of Product Management for Tandem Diabetes. It's our first time talking. Would you mind telling what does that position mean?
- [06:16]
B
Yes, great question. The Vice President of Product management in my opinion is probably one of the best roles at any company, but especially at Tandem. I get to understand what patients, doctors and payers are looking for in the world of diabetes globally. And then I get to help shape our pipeline to meet those needs. Because Tandem is a company that truly believes that diabetes is not one size fits all. In my role of Vice President of Product Management, I have the luxury of helping Tandem to bring lots of different choices to a very complex global market.
- [06:52]
A
Interesting. And that means we can talk about a lot of stuff in the news. Most recently it was announced that and I'm going to try to get all this right with all the pluses. Marisa T Slim X2 with control IQ compatible or integrated with the Libre 3. Did I get that right? And can you just tell us more about that integration?
- [07:14]
B
There's lots of pluses everywhere. Yes.
- [07:16]
A
So what does that mean to the user? It's another CGM.
- [07:20]
B
Perfect. So yes, we are thrilled that the T Slim X2 insulin pump featuring Ctrl IQ is now available with Abbott's Freestyle Libre 3CG in the United States. As you know, patients with diabetes tend to get comfortable with whatever CGM technology they're using. We know that there are many Libre 3 users out there that would prefer to utilize their existing sensor as they consider pump therapy. And we're really excited to be able to allow them to explore pump therapy with their existing sensor. For patients already on aid, this integration now gives them even more options as they choose how to manage their diabetes.
- [08:02]
A
Practically speaking, this is simply a selection within the pump.
- [08:06]
B
Right.
- [08:06]
A
It's like a little toggle. My son has this and he can choose G6, G7 for Dexcom. Same kind of thing.
- [08:11]
B
Yes, exactly. So in the US the updated software for Libre 3 Plus will be preloaded onto any new T Slim X2 pump shipments and it will be available to all eligible T slim x2 pump users through a software update where again they will choose I want to use the Libre 3 sensor. And then the software will step them through how to initiate the sensor and get started on therapy.
- [08:39]
A
Are there any studies that you can speak of that show results different with different CGMs?
- [08:46]
B
Yeah. So for those types of questions I should defer you to our. To. To. To our clinical department to. To answer those types of questions.
- [08:55]
A
But the software is working the same way because the Libre does measure blood glucose more often. Right. Every minute as opposed to Dex comes every five minutes. So does Control IQ kind of work the same way with both?
- [09:07]
B
Yeah, great question. So with the Libre 3 sensor, we are getting one minute readings. Control IQ is using readings every five minutes to update the algorithm. And so the experience that a user will have with the algorithm itself will be the same regardless of what sensor they choose to use. Got it.
- [09:27]
A
And what about mobi? This isn't yet compatible.
- [09:31]
B
Yes. So I was actually thinking that your next question was going to be when would the world's smallest sensor be available with the world's smallest tube pump? Tandem's interesting in that we are the only aid provider that offers patients true choice with two distinct pump platforms. And obviously with that comes big integration lifts on both platforms. Now that we've launched libre 3 with t slim, we will be moving as quickly as possible to offer it on MOBI as soon as possible and we'll make sure to keep you and your listeners updated.
- [10:09]
A
All right. I know better than to ask for a timeline, but I'm going to ask for a timeline anyway. I'm going to assume you can't give me one.
- [10:15]
B
I would love to give you a timeline. All I can say at this point is it is the absolute top priority and next thing that our engineers will be working on now that we have.
- [10:25]
A
T Slim launched, and you mentioned us a couple of times, obviously plans to expand internationally.
- [10:32]
B
Yes. So one of the things that's really exciting at Tandem is we are really focused on expanding our global footprint and we do have plans for early access programs internationally before the end of the year and we'll be scaling fully internationally in 2026.
- [10:52]
A
All right, a lot more questions about the mobi, but I want to put that aside for just a minute because the other announcement Tandem made recently was about Lumev in the pump. And I remember looking into this a few years back. You know, listeners may recall that my son uses the T Slim X2. It was not compatible so we never tried it. But can you talk about that a little bit? And again, is it X2 and mobi or just X2 for now?
- [11:14]
B
Yeah, so currently it's just on X2. And again, this is another example, I think, of Tandem offering patients choice. So The T Slim X2 pump pump is now cleared in both the US and in Europe for use with Humalog, Novolog and Lumgev, the U100 insulins. The clearance was based on data from a 13 week multi center study of 179 individuals that all showed, you know, really high satisfaction and high quality, high quality of life benefits from, from using the insulin.
- [11:46]
A
You mentioned U100. Are any of the tandem products cleared for U200?
- [11:50]
B
Nope. Currently, as far as I know, I believe all insulin pumps on the market use U100 insulins exclusively.
- [11:59]
A
My listeners had a lot of questions about Moby before, before I start reading from the list. From your point of view, how has the launch been? What is the feedback you're getting? I mean, I know you're going to tell me great things and that's fine. But like really, in addition to the size, is there anything that has surprised you or that most people seem to take away once they start using it?
- [12:19]
B
Yeah. So I think for a mobilaunch, it's really, really interesting on a number of levels. You know, I think first and foremost to be the first screenless tubed pump offering Tandem has really been pioneers in that area and it's been fascinating to then watch and see where that really pulls through. So the types of patients, for instance, that would benefit from having a very, very small pump and who are obviously very comfortable with using their phone to monitor that pump. We continue to get really, really good feedback from our users on Mobi. And I don't know that there have been a lot of big surprises other than I think because it's so different that really pulling through that segment of the market that benefits from small and exclusively phone controlled, you know, I think will just be a really fun platform for us to continue to build on. And as, and as we move through the interview, you know, I'll be really excited to start talking about things like Moby Tubeless and other things where we can be taking that small platform and really starting to expand on the offerings there.
- [13:38]
A
Well, absolutely. And before we move to that, because we have to talk about infusion sets to get to. Yes, we do. The Moby Tubeless. So tell me about the extended wear. It's approved. Is it coming out anytime soon? Can we get it? This is going, I mean, and I've said this before, this is the thing that will affect my son's life the most. He's the worst at changing infusion sets.
- [14:02]
B
Yes, this is a great question. And we definitely recognize that the infusion set is a really, really important part, and quite frankly, often a forgotten part of the experience patients have with, with their pumps. Tandem is absolutely committed to expanding our portfolio of, of infusion sets to offer even greater choice and flexibility. And Steady Set is, is a great example of that. So we have received FDA clearance on the Steady Set infusion set. It is an infusion set that'll have two step insertion up to seven days of wear. And all of this was done after completing a very extensive clinical trial. The clearance of steadyset, though, is, is significant on a number of of levels. So I believe when Ben Maher was on your podcast, he discussed what we're now calling the steady flow technology that powers steadyset. So it features a tiny coil that's in the cannula. And what that coil does is it makes the cannula kink resistant and also enables up to seven days of wear. The steady set clearance is important to us not only because of the infusion set itself, but the opportunity to leverage that steady flow technology. So our intention is to leverage that steady flow technology not only for Steady Set, but for our Mobi tubeless platform. Mobi tubeless will further deliver on our mantra of offering flexibility and choice. And, and a Mobi user would then be able to wear their pump as a tubed pump or a patch pump. And now I'm getting to the next piece, which is the Mobi tubeless wear option becomes truly transformational as it will utilize the steady flow technology, making it a patch wear option that is also kink resistant and extended wear. So, and with all those words, all this to say that back to the timing of when are we getting steady Set, we're still working through the best way to optimize that steady flow technology across both Steady Set and Mobi tubeless. And we'll have more details on that availability shortly.
- [16:20]
A
Okay. Oh, my gosh. I have so many questions. First though, you mentioned it is a two step infusion set. What does that mean?
- [16:27]
B
Yeah, so basically, and I wish I had one.
- [16:30]
A
I mean, well, you can think about like the difference of, you know, the, like. I know this isn't what it is, but I immediately thought of like the G5 from Dexcom where you're like pulling and pushing and this and now you've got just open and push.
- [16:42]
B
So, yeah, so thinks two step insertion in the sense that you're going to peel the adhesive off the bottom, you're going to put it up against your arm, you're going to squeeze on both sides, and then boom, you've inserted and then you just connect the, disconnect the tubing. So much, much simpler than some of the options that Tandem currently offers.
- [17:02]
A
With all due respect, I'm thinking about what we use and I don't even remember what it's called. The auto soft set. Something. I mean, he's 20. I was almost 21, so I'm not looking at these boxes much anymore. But like you screw off the top of the ufo, you're taking the little twirly thing and being very careful, you're tapping down perhaps the infusion around the needle or the, the sticky part around the needle. This is not. None of this or this is the same thing.
- [17:24]
B
All of that goes away. You will, literally, I mean, you'll. You'll need to take it out.
- [17:28]
A
You still need to open it back.
- [17:29]
B
And forth, but then, but then just remove the adhesive, line it up, squeeze on both sides, boom, insertion's done.
- [17:37]
A
I cannot wait. I want to buy you all a drink when this comes out. That is going to be amazing. Okay, so tell me more about Moby Tubeless. And I guess we're not calling it Toby. Right, back to our conversation. But first, Diabetes Connections is brought to you by Omnipod. Did you hear the pod drop? Did you know all the sounds used to make that song come from a sight change with the Omnipod 5 automated insulin delivery system. Pretty cool, huh? With Omnipod 5, pump site changes are simple. The pod lasts up to three days, 72 hours. And to change it, you just fill up the pod with insulin, place it on your body, tap a few buttons in the Omnipod 5 app, and you're ready to go. There's no tubing to prime like with traditional insulin pumps, and it's virtually pain free, so you never have to see or Handle the insertion needle. Want to try Omnipod 5 for yourself? Request a free Omnipod 5 starter kit today by visiting omnipod.com diabetesconnections Terms and conditions apply. Eligibility may vary.
- [18:53]
B
Well, so, yeah, so Toby is what was our internal code name for the project as we're coming to market? Think of Mobi Tubeless as really another infusion set wear option. So again it will be inserted very similar to the, to what I just described for steady set. So you peel off the bottom, you fire on both sides and you will basically have a, an infusion set patch sled that then it will come with its own dedicated cartridge that you can swap in and out on the MOBI platform. So if you are currently a MOBI user, you can decide do I want to order Mobi tubeless infusion sets or do I want to order regular tubed infusion sets? And so again, as I was explaining, Mobi Tubeless will use that same steady flow platform which again will make it really, really exciting in the sense that it, barring FDA clearance, et cetera, but would be built on a platform that would have both extended wear and kink resistant technology. We just think it's going to be really, really game changing, transformational and really be a next generation patchware option.
- [20:12]
A
Yeah. So I may be a little thick on this, Marisa. I apologize for making you explain it again. So if I'm a MOBI user, I've got my Moby, which is a small pump, which is not disposable. Right. I've got it my warranty time. I could order the sled type infusion set to wear it tubeless and the tubed infusion set. But I have to change the infusion set to change the way I wear it. That's all you have to change is the infusion set?
- [20:37]
B
That's correct.
- [20:38]
A
And I assume I'm crossing my fingers over here, which you can't see if it's an audio podcast, but I mean, when we're talking about insurance companies, to me this seems to be a bit of a hurdle. Right. Because it feels like, can I just call up my insurer, you know, my insurer and my medical supply company and say I want tubeless this month, but I want tubed that month. Do you anticipate difficulty with that?
- [20:59]
B
Yeah, it's a great question. The actual details of what's going to happen in, in the supply chain are definitely things that we are, that, that we are still working through. I can tell you that, that we have been exploring with, with payers their enthusiasm for a Mobi tubeless wear option. And, and the feedback thus far has been. Been really, really positive. But I think in terms of the actual logistics in the, in the market, we'll probably need to revisit that as we get a little bit closer to launch. Sure.
- [21:32]
A
And after launch, even more so. Right. We'll see what happens when it comes out. And did I misunderstand? Are you all waiting to release steadyset commercially until Moby Tubeless is approved and commercially available, or will that come out first?
- [21:45]
B
Well, what I can say on that is that we as Tandem believe that Moby Tubeless is the transformational innovation that deserves all of our attention right now. And so as we've been formulating our go to market plans, the guidance has been Moby Tubeless needs to be the thing that gets all the attention. And then we need to figure out how to optimize the Steady Set platform after that. We have said publicly that we do have a goal to offer mobitubeless in 2026. I think as we're just working through all the details there, you know, need to. Need to assess what that really means in terms of timing.
- [22:32]
A
Yeah, I get it. And you know, certainly with these products, we all want everything when we want them, but I'm going to raise my hand and say, pretty, pretty, pretty please put steadyset out asap.
- [22:42]
B
Totally.
- [22:43]
A
Please, Risa, pass that along. From a kid who just upped his control from a kid who just upped his X2 warranty for another four years and isn't going to Moby.
- [22:54]
B
Yeah, well, and maybe just a couple things on that. The first one is we will offer Steady Set for both Moby and T Slim. So you can assume that is unequivocally true. And I would just say that we totally recognize the urgency to improve the Infusion Set experience for our. For our patients. And it may seem like it's taking forever, but on the flip side, again, Tandem is just a really, really exciting place to have so many choices available that we can truly be investing in and be so close to bringing all those to market.
- [23:32]
A
All right, so let me get to some of my listener questions. So Brian and a few other people wanted to know if there were other options for 5 inch tubing coming. Another person said basically the same thing, but will the extended infusion site come in the 5 inch tubing as well from O.B.
- [23:46]
B
Yes, our intention is to offer 5 inch tubing on any of the new Infusion Set platforms that we bring to market.
- [23:54]
A
Excellent. Sierra wants to know she wanted me to ask you about updating the app so you can do an extended bolus from it updating the pump so when you put in a reading, the one hour alarm doesn't go off three or five minutes later. So I guess two different questions there.
- [24:09]
B
Yeah, so I think on that one, first off, thank you very much for the, for the feedback and we are always eager to get feedback and flow those through in terms of, in terms of our pipeline, I think on this one I don't have anything specific that I can comment on at this time, but we'll make sure that we're passing that along.
- [24:31]
A
Okay. Feature request. Any plans for a timer on things like exercise mode?
- [24:37]
B
Yeah, so on that one, a few things. So there is an exercise timer currently on T Slim and one of the things again, will just remind us all that we are the only company that is trying to manage two Aid Pub platforms simultaneously. And sometimes that means we make choices about different feature options. We are really focused on making sure that we get to a place where the features on Mobi are at parity with T Slim. And so as we continue to mature the Mobi platform, that is a goal that we're working toward.
- [25:17]
A
So a really dumb question, Marisa. I assumed that mobi and x2 were pretty identical. Again, you know, we don't use Mobi, but they are, they are not. Just to be clear.
- [25:27]
B
Well, so, yeah, so I think the. Our goal has been to have Moby be at parity with T Slim and I think some of this is just a matter of timing where there are certain features that maybe we launched Moby, I. E. The exercise timer, where we launched without that, where now, you know, we're needing to go back and make sure that gets added in the same way that we put libre 3 on t slim first. And now, you know, we're going to immediately start working on putting it on mobi.
- [25:58]
A
Got it. Kristin wanted to know about a parent follow app for Moby, which I guess would also be. I'll ask it for the X2. Any plans for that?
- [26:09]
B
Yeah, so we are actually working on a Caregiver follow app that should be available very soon. Very, very soon. And I don't know that I can say a whole lot more about that, but I'm excited to tell you this has been a long time in the making. It will be built off of the original Sugar Mate platform that we acquired. And yeah, we're really looking forward to offering a Caregiver follow up very, very soon.
- [26:34]
A
That's great. Yeah, we remember the Sugar Mate acquisition and then kind of silence. So that's exciting. That's a great update.
- [26:41]
B
This is another one where Tandem as a product leader Tandem is a very, very fun place to work because we have lot that we can be choosing when to bring to market.
- [26:52]
A
Hey everybody jumping in here just for some clarification. Us based dexcom and Knightscout users can already share data with followers within SugarMate by Tandem app, and the Tandem team confirmed with me they have plans to update SugarMate to allow T Slim X2 users using a Freestyle Libre 3 sensor to view and share their CGM data in the first half of 2026. As for Tandem's pump apps like the Tandem T Slim Mobile app and TandemMobi app mentioned by the listener, while it's correct that the app will upload your recent pump data to Tandem Source account, you know, over wifi or cellular depending on your settings, uploads do not happen in real time. Tandem Source is not a tool for remote monitoring. Hope those clarifications help. Now back to my conversation with Marisa Fenup. Evan wanted to know if you have any updates on some of the newer closed loop algorithms like Rocket ap, which is, you know, something that has been investigated that they've been looking at at UVA or what's next for Control iq. Can you share any any advanced updates that may be coming?
- [28:03]
B
Yes. What I can tell you is that Tandem definitely understands that mealtime is extremely challenging for people with diabetes, and Tandem has made it a top priority in our algorithm pipeline to fully close the loop. We are actively advancing both technical and clinical work. You're probably aware that we've recently announced a research agreement with the University of Virginia. This collaboration will expand on Tandem's ongoing research in the advancement of automated closed loop insulin delivery technology and will involve scientists, clinicians and functional experts from both institutions. Results from this collaboration may lead to clinical research that will help us to accelerate approved uses for Tandem's next generation aid systems. I will tell you that our vision with our algorithm work is intended to ensure that patients can personalize how they manage mealtime. So in other words, if they want to have active engagement, be doing carb counting, et cetera, at mealtime, they'll be able to do that. Or obviously with fully closed loop, they can have no engagement at all. I do recall some funny stories that I believe you were sharing about your son, so hopefully this will be the best of all worlds for him because there's many steps in developing and bringing algorithm updates to market. I I can't Provide exact timing, but I will definitely keep you updated as we advance closer and closer to entering a pivotal trial.
- [29:37]
A
That's very cool. And as you listen, there is public information out about Rocket AP and some other studies, so I can link those up in the show notes. It's separate from Tandem, but you can certainly read about the research there and it's very exciting. I did have a question and I maybe should have put this in earlier, but I didn't really understand this. One of my listeners asked, when is the shortage for 5 inch tubing for the MOBI going to be over?
- [30:00]
B
Yes, great question. Thank you for bringing that up. So we did go through a brief period where we needed to be controlling the amount of 5 inch that was going into the market. As you know, we partner with combatec, who is our infusion set supplier. Obviously we are the only aid pump that offers a 5 inch infusion set. And so in this particular case there were some, some manufacturing hiccups that specifically affected the 5 inch. I'm happy to say that we seem to be moving in a direction that that supply issue should not be a long term issue.
- [30:39]
A
Excellent. We're talking about mobi tubeless and 2026. I have to ask, is SIGY still in the portfolio somewhere? This is a different pump. This is a durable patch pump, for lack of a better word. Still working on that, yes.
- [30:54]
B
So let me start by giving you a primer on the multiple approaches Tandem is taking toward a patch pump. So you are correct. Mobi Tubeless or Tobii, as we talked about, is an infusion set option that allows Moby to be worn as a patch. Siggy is the acquisition from AMF Medical and is a pure play patch pump that is smaller and to be, and designed to be only to be worn as a, as a patch. So what I can say is that Mobi Tubeless is our near term focus. The beauty here is that it brings a tubeless wear mode to our already tested and trusted MOBI pump through just changing the consumables. Obviously this is fantastic for people who if you want to wear it tubeless 100% of the time, you can. But it also allows users to mix and match how they wear Mobi. And as I just mentioned, you know, we have stated a goal of launching in 2026. Sigi, again, is the patch only design. We did announce earlier this year that we've relocated some of the development efforts for SIGE back to San Diego where our headquarters is, and we're continuing to refine that technology platform and Drive synergies through other parts of our portfolio. We're really excited about Sigi long term, but don't have any other specific updates on strategy or timing at this time.
- [32:23]
A
So tubeless Moby doesn't mean the end of Sigi or SIGI is not happening?
- [32:27]
B
No, Correct. So right now we consider Moby Tubeless as a consumables play and consider Sigi as a pure play patch pump.
- [32:39]
A
Great. All right, I know we're getting long. I'm going to start wrapping it up, but I have one more question for you, I think, and maybe one more Tech cup question. So now wrapping back to one of our first questions about CGM. Any plans to integrate with other CGMs like Eversense or. You know, there's. There seems like there's another CGM that may be in development every day, but Eversense is out. So any news for that?
- [33:00]
B
Yeah, great, Great question. So, obviously our goal is to offer our patients choice. One of the first hurdles is always, is it I cgm? And then I think that the next question becomes, okay, in a world where we have lots of different things that we can be working on, what, what should we work on next? At this time, I don't have anything to share on Tandem. And ever since, specifically, Marisa, before I let you go.
- [33:30]
A
And again, this is an audio podcast. We might throw some clips on social media, but your body language from the beginning has been super excited. Like, you've leaned in. You can tell that you enjoy where you work and what you're doing. Why, like, what makes you so passionate about this?
- [33:47]
B
I think the work that I get to do at Tandem Diabetes is probably some of the most amazing work that I've gotten to do across my 20 plus career in life sciences and med devices. And the reason is Tandem truly is a place where you have a company who wants to be as close to what that patient unmet need is as. As possible, or that physician's unmet need or that payer's unmet need. And it's a place where all the tools are there to just make a really, really meaningful impact in the diabetes space. And so it's just, it's just amazing to get up, come to work every day. There's lots of different choices and lots of complexity that we get to work through, but it's just really, really exciting. And you can, in my opinion, I'm biased. Of course you can see Tandem making a real impact for patients with diabetes.
- [34:47]
A
Well, Marie Safina, thank you so much for joining me. I really Appreciate your time and keep us posted on those timelines and anything else you can. Thanks for being here.
- [34:57]
B
I will tell you as much as I can as soon as I can. Thank you so much, Stacey. It's been wonderful.
- [35:07]
A
I will link up more information in the show notes. I mentioned the Rocket ap, the algorithm from uva, some other information from Tandem, and I'll also link up information about the earnings call that happened a couple of days before this episode went live and their presentations. You know, Tandem and most of these companies do have a whole page about investor relationship and that's where you can go to learn about these events and read the transcript a lot of the time after it happens. All right, so I told you in the introduction that I was going to talk about rule breaking. It's a little thing, not so little. It's been huge for Benny's care. But I was surprised that U200 insulin is not approved for use in Tandem products because Bennie has used U200 insulin for about a year and a half now. August of 2024. Yeah, about a year and a half now. He's always been really insulin resistant, I mean, since he was a little kid. And we've shared this on the show before. He's very open about it. And so he's used enormous amounts of insulin, which is really bad for any infusion set. And switching to U200 has made just an incredible difference. And I think it's all about the amount of insulin moving through the set. Now, as we've also shared, he's taking a GLP1 medication. So his insulin needs have already gone way down. And he is planning to talk to his endocrinologist about whether to continue using U200. Now, I hear many of you in the DIY community chuckling because you know me as a nervous rule follower, someone who didn't want to try and whose son didn't want to try really, because he didn't trust me, you know, DIY technology or really kind of going off label or anything like that. Like most people with Type one, this isn't really the first time we've gone, you know, in a different direction than what is 100% prescribed. Benny was untethered for a couple of years when he had his insulin use at his peak during puberty, you know, he was taking one injection of long acting as well as using the insulin pump. And we continued that even with basal IQ and control iq. So it was really interesting. I think it all goes to show you gotta figure out what works for you and what works in your pump. You know, I'm just sharing personal experience here. This is not medical advice. If you think this will help, I encourage you to talk to your endocrinologist or your healthcare provider, your diabetes educator, and make a plan that works for you.
- [37:23]
B
All right?
- [37:23]
A
Thank you. To my editor, John Buchanis from Audio Editing Solutions. Thank you so much for listening. I'm Stacey Sims. I'll see you back here soon. Until then, be kind to yourself.
- [37:37]
B
Diabetes Connections is a production of Stacey Sims Media.
- [37:40]
A
All rights reserved.
- [37:42]
B
All wrongs avenged.