Major medtech companies vied for the biggest news splash at this year’s annual meeting of the American Diabetes Association, announcing promising results from studies of patients who used their latest diabetes technology.
The American Diabetes Association Virtual Scientific Sessions, which runs through Tuesday, so far has featured news out of Abbott (NYSE:ABT) and Medtronic (NYSE:MDT) and several smaller companies as well as studies showing how diabetes tech is helping diverse patient populations. More than 800 sessions have been planned.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control estimates that nearly 1.6 million Americans have type 1 diabetes – in which the body does not produce insulin – including about 187,000 children and adolescents. Type 2 diabetes is more common, and means that the body doesn’t use insulin properly.
Not only is diabetes a chronic, difficult-to-control condition, it’s big business. Grand View Research estimates the global diabetes devices market size to reach $41.6 billion by 2027, and announcements at ADA reach thousands of providers and patients, even if they’re only virtual.
Here are some of the highlights of this year’s conference, which began June 12.