In what has possibly been the worst kept secret in diabetes in Australia, AMSL today announced their partnership with Tandem Diabetes Care, officially revealing that the much anticipated TSlim pump is on its way to Australia. You can read all about it here, but please note that at this time there is no official launch date available. AMSL is still going through registration and subsidy processes, and this will take some time. (But we’re told we can expect it on the market some time later this year.)

This is the latest development in changes to the Australian pump market which, to be honest, was looking a little dire.

With the announcement that Animas was leaving the market completely (the Australian departure was declared a few months after our North American friends were told; no one particularly surprised), Australians were left with a choice of pump offerings from Medtronic and Roche. Cellnovo had just launched, but there were supply issues. Really, it was slim pickings for us!

Fast forward three months and the Aussie pump landscape is looking a little different, which is great news if you are thinking about starting on a pump, or are due for an update soon. If you’re in the market for a new pump, you can now consider:

And now, Tandem will be AMSL’s pump offering. For updates, check the AMSL socials.

So what does this mean for me? Well, twelve months ago, I would have been beside myself with excitement at today’s announcement. My pump’s warranty would have been about to expire and I was in the market for a new pump. I was extraordinarily frustrated at the ‘pump limbo‘ I found myself in with the limited options available to me not giving me any joy at all. I would have been hassling the gorgeous AMSL team for more details, desperate to get my grubby paws on a TSlim the second it was on the market.

Today I am indeed thrilled by the announcement. I am all about choice and this provides people with diabetes who want to pump another option. This is nothing but a great thing! But for me personally, I am actually happy with my old loopable pump and won’t be making any moves away from what I am doing.

A shiny, sexy new TSlim pump would be lovely shoved down my bra. But unless I can loop with it, it’s not for me. But I will certainly be keeping a very, very close eye on developments, because I do know that with its Dexcom integration, it will have hybrid-closed loop capabilities available in the not too distant future…