4 Reasons Why We Can Not Talk About Our Preliminary Products

Whenever we publish an article on any of our platforms [newsletters, website, or social media], we hope the information we offer is relevant to you, our avid readers. We also use this approach as a means to learn from you, to find out what you are looking for [or not looking for], and what is most important to you. One of the key things we look forward to, is getting feedback from you, so we can innovate to better meet your needs. We are always eager to find out if you enjoyed reading our content or not and also what would you like to read about next.

Over the past few weeks, a common topic that has been requested is about Medtronic sharing information on new products that will soon be on the market or what we are currently developing. It’s such a fantastic idea to explore and we would love to tell you all about it. Unfortunately, we cannot tell your everything and here are just 4 of the many reasons why we cannot give details about our products which are in development phase.

1. Safety First!

Just like a new vaccine or drug that has many pre-clinical and clinical phases before it is officially available to the public, our medical devices follow a similar route. Throughout all these phases, we are testing how safe and effective our device is. We ensure all our product development phases [from brainstorming to testing] are carefully recorded and assessed regularly. We are always scanning for risks and obstacles at each phase and how it may affect your safety. We would not want to share information about a product before all the safety standards of the product have been fully verified as we would never want to compromise your safety.

2. Respecting Regulatory and Legal Boundaries

When it comes to medical devices, we always respect and stay within our boundaries. What this means is that we cannot legally speak about any of our products that are currently being developed, until an official approval from a governing body is given. This approval is known as the CE (Conformité Européenne) mark – our products that are available are CE marked. The CE mark is an official seal of approval, declaring that our device has been assessed and meets the European Union safety, health and protection requirements.

3. Quality Comes First

To the outside world, it may seem that, from time to time, we have gone quiet but in reality, each day we dive into our multiple ongoing projects. We spend many hours in each phase of product research and development, in order to achieve the best possible outcomes. Our standards are high and to make sure we maintain these standards. Everything we produce, whether it is a medical device, service, or something as small as an article talking carbs, must go through a series of testing and approval processes. For us, quality will always triumph over quantity. Quality needs to be ensured before a product is communicated to the public.

4. Staying authentic

At Medtronic Diabetes EMEA, one of our core values is authenticity. To ensure that we preserve this belief, we avoid mentioning any products and services we have in mind before they have met the safety and quality standards mentioned above. Even mentioning an idea we have or posting about an idea in a hypothetical situation without the correct context can be high risk. We also understand the importance of getting insights from people living with type 1 diabetes, and we achieve this through many different processes such as pre-selected focus groups, and workshops.

Final thoughts

Even though we cannot talk about our very exciting devices that are being developed, what we can talk about are our CE-approved products and services that are available to you at this very moment. A visionary at heart, we believe collaboration is the first step to co-creation. So, whenever you can, engage with us. Let us know how you are doing and what topic you would like us to explore. We understand diabetes is much more than an insulin pump. Your interactions inspire us to create better solutions and to create programmes that are beyond the device. By sharing your ideas, suggestions, and vision we can go further together to redefine and shape the future of type 1 diabetes, one step at a time.