Lots of diabetes news today. First up, watch out, Medtronic: Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) subsidiary Animas Corp. just got positive results in the first human study of its artificial pancreas system. The device was tried on 13 type 1 diabetes patients for 24 hours and demonstrated that it could automatically predict ups and downs of blood glucose and insulin accordingly. Last week, Medtronic filed for FDA approval of its MiniMedR system, a glucose monitoring pump with low glucose suspension capabilities.

Novo Nordisk is coming along in its $2 billion quest to make a one-a-day diabetes pill that could deliver long-lasting insulin to the bloodstream. It’s pill has been through pre-clinical testing, and one model has been through a first round of clinical tests in humans. The company says it should know which formulation will proceed to mid-stage clinical development by late next year.

Support for these diabetes advancements was boosted by a new study to be published in NEJM that followed more than 12,500 people over six years. The study found that long-term use of insulin didn’t put diabetics at greater risk for heart attack, stroke or cancer.

For as fast as it’s catching on here, mobile health is apparently being adopted even quicker in developing markets. A new PwC report based on physician and consumer surveys conducted by Economist Intelligence Unit says that developing countries are more likely to see mobile health as a new way to boost access to healthcare, while US providers are more likely to see it as disruptive.

Mobile health company AliveCor – developer of the iPhoneECG and iCard ECG – raised a $10.5 million round of funding to commercialize its 510(k) pending heart monitoring device.

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