The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a home-use medical laser that will help diabetics to monitor their blood sugar. It works great, but it's not cheap.
The Lasette, developed by Cell Robotics in Albuquerque, New Mexico, is a portable, battery-operated laser that allows diabetics to take blood samples and test glucose levels. Most patients find it nearly painless, especially good news for children with the disease.
"Today's action may improve the quality of life for many Americans who suffer from diabetes," said Dr. Donald Burlington, director of FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health, in a statement on Tuesday. "It highlights the many important ways that advanced technologies can contribute to our everyday health-care needs."
The laser hails from Russia, where it was available to clinics in 1990. Biomedical engineer David Costello recognized its potential for use in the United States and transferred it to the Western market in 1992.
"It needed a lot of engineering design and development -- it was very large and bulky." said Costello, the Lasette project manager at Cell Robotics.
Costello searched for venture capital for about three years until Cell Robotics acquired the technology in 1996. After two years of refining the device, the company received clearance to sell the Lasette to clinics. The FDA made it available for home use, with a doctor's prescription, on Tuesday.
The FDA says a number of diabetes blood-testing devices have been proposed, but the Lasette is the first to make it virtually pain-free. Costello said it adjusts for the thickness of your skin so that, at the correct setting, most people feel nothing at all in the 300 microseconds it takes for the laser to work.
