July 19, 2010
July 16, 2010
FTNW: Diamyd Agreement Approval
Diamyd Agreement Receives Antitrust Clearance
Diamyd Medical AB has received antitrust clearance that closes the transaction announced on June 22, 2010 with Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (OMJPI), a Johnson & Johnson company.
http://www.diamyd.com/docs/pressClip.aspx?section=investor&ClipID=503738The US Federal Trade Commission's clearance under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Anti-Trust Improvements Act is regarding the agreement between Diamyd and OMJPI for development and world-wide commercialization of the GAD65 antigen-based therapy (Diamyd®) for the treatment and prevention of type 1 diabetes and associated conditions.
Crash Test Dummy
Raise you hand if you put a car into a ditch or other immovable object off the side of the road as a teenager.
I did.
I was cut off on a highway and ran a perfectly good VW Bug into an Exxon sign pillar. The sign was fine. I popped the windshield off the car with my head and it flew 20 feet in the air, bounced and landed unbroken. The windshield did best. I went to the hospital and the Bug went to the scrap heap.
I loved that car.
It was the American dream in a old German car. It was slow. It was noisy. The heater didn’t work very well, when it worked at all. But it was freedom. It would go anywhere and, bonus, it fit on sidewalks. However the statute of limitations on some those sidewalk missions may still not have expired so enough said.
It would’ve been nice to miss the sign.
My T1 son is learning to drive. It would be nice for him to miss the sign too and to stay off sidewalks.
Some of all of y’all (a phrase that here means "In select cities"), can get free hands on training to miss the sign and stay off sidewalks.
Medtronic is sponsoring a free driving program for diabetic teens. It is called Test B4U Drive.
If you are skeptical, I understand. I thought “Test B4U” sounds like diabetes preachiness dressed in text messaging slang trying to be cool. I too was a tad skeptical. I mean I am an American Male and therefor endowed by the creator with certain unalienable rights like life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
Hello! I am sure that by that Thomas Jefferson meant driving.
Also it means that my American Maleness grants me presumed naturally superior driving abilities that I can passed on to my son both genetically and spiritually. (Your Honor. I move the testimony of the Exxon sign be excluded on the grounds that it is a sign and so has no business commenting on my natural American Maleness driving superiority.)
I mentioned the class to my son and he responded with the comment that the driving session at Friends for Life a few years back was an extremely boring lecture, where they just sat there and listened to some dude drone on. This is what I call this the Charlie Brown’s Teacher Syndrome “Wa WAA wa Waa WaWa.” (C.B.T.S. - you know I love the four letter acronyms.)
The folks at Medtronic were kind enough to talk with me about the program today. They rolled out their big guns, Dr. Francine R. Kaufman, Chief Medical Officer and Vice President and Amanda Sheldon, Director of Public Relations. You put three people on the phone that are passionate about diabetes care and we tent to all talk at the same time. We did somehow sort out taking turns.
I asked them straight up how they were going to avoid CBTS with an all day deal for teens? I can’t pay attention for 7 minutes how are they gonna get teens to pay attention for 7 hours?
(I can hear regular YDMV readers saying, “Hey Bennet the T1 teens are probably more mature than you are!” Probably that Kerri chick and her pal Christel. Those two are trouble with a capital T of course that's why I love'm.)
I digress. Back to Test B4U Drive. First of all driving is a topic near and dear to the teenage heart so that should help get attention. (How else can you explain the American Dream in a German car above.) Next while there is some diabetes stuff and there will be an actual endo at each session the organizers get that the day is about cars. So they will also have professional diving instructors at each session. Instructors - plural. One instructor to three teens. 1:3.
The day will be mostly driving and only some classroom. They said it is like six hours playing and one hour of classroom time and it sounds like there is fun stuff to do in the cars. Hard breaking, avoidance maneuvering and my personal favorite skidding! (but not into an Exxon sign - avoiding now there is a concept... )
Medtronic is in the program with the Juvenile Diabetes No Limits Foundation, who I had never heard of. The good folks at Medtronic explained it a group based in Minnesota lat is supports T1 kids living full lives. Cool. I think they said something about the founder being a car racer. Even more coolness.
Test B4U Drive is being offered to teens with diabetes at these select locations, none near me, in 2010, 15 kids to a class:
beat up err.. play no wrong word again... learn in a rental car. That’s a fair deal.
For more information see: http://www.medtronicdiabetes.com/testb4udrive/
I did.
I was cut off on a highway and ran a perfectly good VW Bug into an Exxon sign pillar. The sign was fine. I popped the windshield off the car with my head and it flew 20 feet in the air, bounced and landed unbroken. The windshield did best. I went to the hospital and the Bug went to the scrap heap.
I loved that car.
It was the American dream in a old German car. It was slow. It was noisy. The heater didn’t work very well, when it worked at all. But it was freedom. It would go anywhere and, bonus, it fit on sidewalks. However the statute of limitations on some those sidewalk missions may still not have expired so enough said.
It would’ve been nice to miss the sign.
My T1 son is learning to drive. It would be nice for him to miss the sign too and to stay off sidewalks.
Some of all of y’all (a phrase that here means "In select cities"), can get free hands on training to miss the sign and stay off sidewalks.
Medtronic is sponsoring a free driving program for diabetic teens. It is called Test B4U Drive.
If you are skeptical, I understand. I thought “Test B4U” sounds like diabetes preachiness dressed in text messaging slang trying to be cool. I too was a tad skeptical. I mean I am an American Male and therefor endowed by the creator with certain unalienable rights like life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
Hello! I am sure that by that Thomas Jefferson meant driving.
Also it means that my American Maleness grants me presumed naturally superior driving abilities that I can passed on to my son both genetically and spiritually. (Your Honor. I move the testimony of the Exxon sign be excluded on the grounds that it is a sign and so has no business commenting on my natural American Maleness driving superiority.)
I mentioned the class to my son and he responded with the comment that the driving session at Friends for Life a few years back was an extremely boring lecture, where they just sat there and listened to some dude drone on. This is what I call this the Charlie Brown’s Teacher Syndrome “Wa WAA wa Waa WaWa.” (C.B.T.S. - you know I love the four letter acronyms.)
The folks at Medtronic were kind enough to talk with me about the program today. They rolled out their big guns, Dr. Francine R. Kaufman, Chief Medical Officer and Vice President and Amanda Sheldon, Director of Public Relations. You put three people on the phone that are passionate about diabetes care and we tent to all talk at the same time. We did somehow sort out taking turns.
I asked them straight up how they were going to avoid CBTS with an all day deal for teens? I can’t pay attention for 7 minutes how are they gonna get teens to pay attention for 7 hours?
(I can hear regular YDMV readers saying, “Hey Bennet the T1 teens are probably more mature than you are!” Probably that Kerri chick and her pal Christel. Those two are trouble with a capital T of course that's why I love'm.)
I digress. Back to Test B4U Drive. First of all driving is a topic near and dear to the teenage heart so that should help get attention. (How else can you explain the American Dream in a German car above.) Next while there is some diabetes stuff and there will be an actual endo at each session the organizers get that the day is about cars. So they will also have professional diving instructors at each session. Instructors - plural. One instructor to three teens. 1:3.
The day will be mostly driving and only some classroom. They said it is like six hours playing and one hour of classroom time and it sounds like there is fun stuff to do in the cars. Hard breaking, avoidance maneuvering and my personal favorite skidding! (but not into an Exxon sign - avoiding now there is a concept... )
Medtronic is in the program with the Juvenile Diabetes No Limits Foundation, who I had never heard of. The good folks at Medtronic explained it a group based in Minnesota lat is supports T1 kids living full lives. Cool. I think they said something about the founder being a car racer. Even more coolness.
Test B4U Drive is being offered to teens with diabetes at these select locations, none near me, in 2010, 15 kids to a class:
- July 19-21, The Forum, Los Angeles
- July 26-28, Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, Commerce City, Colo. (Denver area)
- August 2-4, KCI Expo Center, Kansas City, Mo.
- August 9-11, Standard Bank Stadium, Crestwood, Ill. (Chicago area)
For more information see: http://www.medtronicdiabetes.com/testb4udrive/
July 15, 2010
Jumping in with Amy
Amy has a piece up on data systems and I thought i would jump on the bandwagon with a re-run. This is a previously aired YDMV bit. Summer is like that you get re-runs. I hope it helps sound a call for data interoperability. (Sorry. I'll stop using big words like that now.)
Swimming in the Data Stream Looking for the UN. (Aug '07)
Type 1 isn’t all about the numbers. It is about kids (and adults) living their lives. That said there are one hell of a lot of numbers. We gotta deal with the numbers, so we can love the kids (and adults) as kids (and adults). Nobody need love the numbers.
There are a ton of little electronic machines that produce billions and billions of numbers (and about as many strips on the floor.) At times it seems we are floundering in a sea of data points (and strips on the floor.) Unfortunately each machine speaks its own language. What we need is the UN. United Numbers.
Brenard responded to my post ...and I would like a side order of Holy Grail while I am at it too
saying:
Brenard is brilliant. Bernard for President. (The heck with that constitutional provision about natural born citizen as long as he doesn't change us to left side of the road driving.)
Everyone at FFL with any kind of a {in my best Monty Python imitation} ‘Machine that goes PING’ (by the way when I wrote this Animas hadn't named a pump after a Monty Pyton bit yet) was touting some kind of undefined wireless connectivity to some tool that alerts someone, most likely the doctor, (who is way too busy with patients in the office to be taking PINGs from machines that go PING.) I call this the machine that listens to the machine that goes PING and tells someone else.
In one of these sessions we got to talking about the school setting. One guy said there were three, count'm THREE, pumpers in his daughter’s one classroom. Wow!
So the big idea of the focus group was this new undefined machine that listens to the machine that goes PING and tells someone else could alerts the nurse if one of the three kids in the class was trending south.
How techie cool would that be?
But wait! What if each kid is wearing a different pump and CGM?
Does the school have to buy three different machines that listens to the machine that goes PING and tells someone else? One that listens in each of the three different languages, that each of the different machines that all go PING speak?
Or do three different insurance companies have to pony up (fat chance.)
Sounds a wee bit inefficient to me. It is like every machine is it own nation.
Imagine if we could get all these different Nations United or at least talking. We need the UN!
If all the machines that go PING spoke the same language then one machine in the classroom could listen to any manufacturers’ device and call the school nurse.
Just think, all the manufacturers could all reduce the cost of R&D spent on the machine that listens to the Machine that goes PING if they didn’t each have to invent a new language in the process. Hey guys in expensive suits! Lower expenses means more profits and bigger bonuses for the guys in expensive suits or they could then invest that saved R&D money into better design, clearer user interfaces and compete on usability! Yeah I think it would go to bonuses too.
Anyway - Bernard for President of the UN!
I look at it like this, there are a standards for a USB port, bluetooth, driving on the right side of the road. Well OK there is the whole UK exception for the last one but you get my point ...well Bernard may not.
I know that some companies want to invent the wheel, patent it and keep others from rolling. Who gets hurt in this deal they say - we invent the spoked wheel, we should have exclusive rights to it.
I’ll tell ya who get hurt – kids - maybe two of the three kids in the classroom. It is the kids’ data transmitted through We the People’s spectrum. There is an interest here that takes precedence.
OK call me a communist - I want to see a Reaganesque rising tide that lifts all boats.
I did promise to write a number of medical companies a letter about this when I was bending their corporate ears at FFL.
Think they will like this?
Maybe I should write my congresswoman too. I think I'll skip the commie pinko part in her letter and maybe the Regan bit. She's a D.
Swimming in the Data Stream Looking for the UN. (Aug '07)
or Becoming a Commie Pinko
Type 1 isn’t all about the numbers. It is about kids (and adults) living their lives. That said there are one hell of a lot of numbers. We gotta deal with the numbers, so we can love the kids (and adults) as kids (and adults). Nobody need love the numbers.There are a ton of little electronic machines that produce billions and billions of numbers (and about as many strips on the floor.) At times it seems we are floundering in a sea of data points (and strips on the floor.) Unfortunately each machine speaks its own language. What we need is the UN. United Numbers.
Brenard responded to my post ...and I would like a side order of Holy Grail while I am at it too
saying:
One of the key parts to this (and the thing I've been preaching about for a while) is a unified data standard for diabetes data. Something that all device makers (pumps, meters, CGMS) follow. That would make it possible to actually take data from several devices and combine it into a single package for graphing and analysis.Doing!
Brenard is brilliant. Bernard for President. (The heck with that constitutional provision about natural born citizen as long as he doesn't change us to left side of the road driving.)
Everyone at FFL with any kind of a {in my best Monty Python imitation} ‘Machine that goes PING’ (by the way when I wrote this Animas hadn't named a pump after a Monty Pyton bit yet) was touting some kind of undefined wireless connectivity to some tool that alerts someone, most likely the doctor, (who is way too busy with patients in the office to be taking PINGs from machines that go PING.) I call this the machine that listens to the machine that goes PING and tells someone else.
In one of these sessions we got to talking about the school setting. One guy said there were three, count'm THREE, pumpers in his daughter’s one classroom. Wow!
So the big idea of the focus group was this new undefined machine that listens to the machine that goes PING and tells someone else could alerts the nurse if one of the three kids in the class was trending south.
How techie cool would that be?
But wait! What if each kid is wearing a different pump and CGM?
Does the school have to buy three different machines that listens to the machine that goes PING and tells someone else? One that listens in each of the three different languages, that each of the different machines that all go PING speak?
Or do three different insurance companies have to pony up (fat chance.)
Sounds a wee bit inefficient to me. It is like every machine is it own nation.
Imagine if we could get all these different Nations United or at least talking. We need the UN!
If all the machines that go PING spoke the same language then one machine in the classroom could listen to any manufacturers’ device and call the school nurse.
Just think, all the manufacturers could all reduce the cost of R&D spent on the machine that listens to the Machine that goes PING if they didn’t each have to invent a new language in the process. Hey guys in expensive suits! Lower expenses means more profits and bigger bonuses for the guys in expensive suits or they could then invest that saved R&D money into better design, clearer user interfaces and compete on usability! Yeah I think it would go to bonuses too.
Anyway - Bernard for President of the UN!
I look at it like this, there are a standards for a USB port, bluetooth, driving on the right side of the road. Well OK there is the whole UK exception for the last one but you get my point ...well Bernard may not.
I know that some companies want to invent the wheel, patent it and keep others from rolling. Who gets hurt in this deal they say - we invent the spoked wheel, we should have exclusive rights to it.
I’ll tell ya who get hurt – kids - maybe two of the three kids in the classroom. It is the kids’ data transmitted through We the People’s spectrum. There is an interest here that takes precedence.
OK call me a communist - I want to see a Reaganesque rising tide that lifts all boats.
I did promise to write a number of medical companies a letter about this when I was bending their corporate ears at FFL.
Think they will like this?
Maybe I should write my congresswoman too. I think I'll skip the commie pinko part in her letter and maybe the Regan bit. She's a D.
July 12, 2010
theBetesNow Sighting
We are just back from Orlando. After FFL we had a little fun games and fireworks. We come home to see that one of theBetesNow.com videos we made at Friends For Life is featured on the American Diabetes Association's home page. WoHoo!
theBetesNow is by and for people living with type 1. Our goal is to share short often humorous bits that are not Charlie Brown's teacher. You know, "Wa Waa Wa WAA Wa wa Wa WA."
Maybe an example will help:
theBetes:Now Top 7 - Least Likely Places to Find a Test Strip 2 from thebetes now on Vimeo.
Thanks ADA for joining in with a little less frivolous bit on school safety, I grabbed a screen capture just to have a souvenir.
theBetesNow is by and for people living with type 1. Our goal is to share short often humorous bits that are not Charlie Brown's teacher. You know, "Wa Waa Wa WAA Wa wa Wa WA."
Maybe an example will help:
theBetes:Now Top 7 - Least Likely Places to Find a Test Strip 2 from thebetes now on Vimeo.
Thanks ADA for joining in with a little less frivolous bit on school safety, I grabbed a screen capture just to have a souvenir.
July 6, 2010
TheBetesNow Coming Attractions
Here is one of the Friends For Life bits that is coming up at theBetesNow.com
Lots more coming soon to an Internet near you!
alcheckin from thebetes now on Vimeo.
Lots more coming soon to an Internet near you!
July 4, 2010
OK
Alfred says OK. I think this trend is more than just OK.
OK I know that it isn't really called Alfred well other than ours and I know that isn't what the green OK means but three hours in Epcot on July 4th including chocolate mousse that is still OK by me.
Oh and the Red Ninja was on the case with Alfred.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
OK I know that it isn't really called Alfred well other than ours and I know that isn't what the green OK means but three hours in Epcot on July 4th including chocolate mousse that is still OK by me.
Oh and the Red Ninja was on the case with Alfred.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
July 3, 2010
Red Ninjas in Theme Parks
We picked up True2Go meters at CWD. This is the son of the Sidekick meter that I wrote about at www.DisneyWithDiabetes.com ages ago. I was a big fan of the Sidekick for it's mobility and the new 2.0 version is better.
The True2Go meter twists onto the top of a can of 50 strips. With a groovy little wetsuit strap they gave us we can attach their way small lance device to the side. It brilliantly designed so that with the pokey end down the lancer works without being removed from it's holster.
There is even enough room a can of 50 strips to carry extra lancets. You know it maybe time for the semiannual change of the lancet any month now.
This is a great on the meter. True2Go Dudes put a key ring on this bad boy. It small enough to go along with every T1 driver every day. While you are at it make a way to tote around 4 glucotabs too without the gluconess getting to the strips and messing up the readings. I thinking a two ended strip can with a bottom flap for tabs.
True2go gave me a white paper on accuracy. I'll read it when we get home. In the mean time my kids are carrying these little guys around Disney World. It is one nice tight little kit.
They come in red. Dudes I got more than one T1 kid - color options would make knowing who's is on first. (We got home and the local CVS has a variety of colors. Rock On.)
In the mean time Delaney calls them Red Ninjas.
Need I say more?
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
The True2Go meter twists onto the top of a can of 50 strips. With a groovy little wetsuit strap they gave us we can attach their way small lance device to the side. It brilliantly designed so that with the pokey end down the lancer works without being removed from it's holster.
There is even enough room a can of 50 strips to carry extra lancets. You know it maybe time for the semiannual change of the lancet any month now.
This is a great on the meter. True2Go Dudes put a key ring on this bad boy. It small enough to go along with every T1 driver every day. While you are at it make a way to tote around 4 glucotabs too without the gluconess getting to the strips and messing up the readings. I thinking a two ended strip can with a bottom flap for tabs.
True2go gave me a white paper on accuracy. I'll read it when we get home. In the mean time my kids are carrying these little guys around Disney World. It is one nice tight little kit.
They come in red. Dudes I got more than one T1 kid - color options would make knowing who's is on first. (We got home and the local CVS has a variety of colors. Rock On.)
In the mean time Delaney calls them Red Ninjas.
Need I say more?
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
June 25, 2010
AWOL
I have been AWOL from the diabetes online community for a bit. Here's why: I have been working on a series of short films fro Friends For Life.
The project is called "theBetesNow." Astute students of the DOC may have seen a bit on Diabetes Mine about it. Sucks to be scooped on your own project by Amy but hey props to her for being on the ball with the news.
The goal is to have some fun, bring a mix of new and familiar faces into a different format. So stay tuned the results of our efforts will soon start trickling on to the internet.
The project is called "theBetesNow." Astute students of the DOC may have seen a bit on Diabetes Mine about it. Sucks to be scooped on your own project by Amy but hey props to her for being on the ball with the news.
The goal is to have some fun, bring a mix of new and familiar faces into a different format. So stay tuned the results of our efforts will soon start trickling on to the internet.
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