Thousands of diabetic patients are hacking into their insulin pumps to make them automatically estimate blood glucose levels and adjust insulin levels accordingly, Irl Hirsch, MD, a professor at Seattle-based UW Medical Center told USA Today.
“We’ve seen hacking in politics, now we’re seeing it in medicines,” Dr. Hirsch said.
Patients are exploiting their devices because they don’t want to wait for the FDA to approve devices that more smoothly read glucose levels and adjust appropriately, Dr. Hirsh said.
One patient used a custom program to unlock real-time sugar readings of her insulin pump. She then developed an algorithm that predicts what her blood sugar will be in the future so she can manage it.
The patient went on to pose the code online, known as Open APS. Patients all over the world can use it to unlock their insulin pumps.
Other physicians note that as more patients begin to hack into their insulin pumps it may feed into the underground used-insulin pump market, reports USA Today. This market is known for users buying old medical devices that have security flaws.
This is not the first story of patients taking more ownership of their devices. In May, the FDA warned diabetic patients against creating their own artificial pancreas system to control blood sugar levels.