Johnson & Johnson’s Animas Corp. announced on Thursday, October 5 that it plans to close operations and exit the insulin pump business. It has discontinued the sale of all Animas® Vibe® and OneTouch Ping® insulin pumps in the United States and Canada, effective immediately. The company plans to facilitate a transition for the 90,000 people who use Animas pumps, giving them the option to transfer to a Medtronic pump.

The choice of a pump should be made by people with diabetes and their doctors, and JDRF does not endorse products. For those Animas customers needing a new pump, the following links might be helpful:

• Animas
• Medtronic
• OmniPod
• Tandem

JDRF is extremely concerned that Animas Corporation will be closing operations and ending the sale of its insulin pumps, as it means fewer treatment options for people with type 1 diabetes. Pump choice is critical, and people with type 1 diabetes need the ability to choose the devices that work best for them. Innovation and competition are essential to the development of next-generation therapies, and until there’s a cure, JDRF will continue to drive efforts that will improve health outcomes for people facing the daily burdens and dangers of this disease.

For nearly 50 years, we’ve funded advances in new life-saving therapies, and we are working to ensure they get into the hands of those with type 1 diabetes. But our work is not yet done. We support the development of diverse next-generation diabetes technologies—from established life sciences companies as well as newcomers to the space. JDRF research grants and our advocacy for a renewal of the Special Diabetes Program will directly support device development from a number of companies and sources. In addition, the work we’ve done to ensure insurance coverage of continuous glucose monitors has enabled people with type 1 diabetes to have greater choice and access. Together with our community, we continue to advocate via our ongoing Coverage2Control campaign, which asks health insurers to avoid exclusive agreements with manufacturers and to provide affordable coverage of diabetes treatments. Through these and other efforts, it’s our goal to ensure that people with type 1 diabetes continue to have treatment options as we work toward our ultimate vision of a world without type 1 diabetes.