MiniMed has hired David Segal, M.D., as its new chief medical officer, bringing in a diabetes care and digital health veteran as the company enters its next chapter as an independent business.
He succeeds Robert Vigersky, M.D., who has served as CMO since 2019 and will now move into the role of chief medical officer emeritus ahead of his planned retirement at the end of 2027.
Segal comes to MiniMed after serving as medical director of innovation and remote monitoring care at Parkview Health's Mirro Center for Research and Innovation, where he also helped establish a pediatric endocrinology service.
He brings more than 20 years of experience in diabetes care, digital health and healthcare innovation. Earlier in his career, Segal established a diabetes and endocrinology practice in South Africa and co-founded Guidepost, a digital health company offering diabetes telecoaching services.
“I’ve spent much of my career looking at how we can use technology and data to make diabetes care more proactive, personalized and accessible,” said Segal in a Nov. 3 release.
“What excites me about MiniMed is the opportunity to bring that thinking into the development of technologies that can reduce the daily burden of managing diabetes and help more people achieve better outcomes.”
The leadership change comes during a busy year for the former Medtronic diabetes business, which has reached several major milestones in its transition to an independent company.
MiniMed nabbed FDA clearance for its smallest insulin pump yet back in March. At around half the size of the company's mainstay 780G pump, which was FDA-cleared in 2023, the MiniMed Flex is roughly the size of two insulin vials stacked on top of each other.
Designed to be discreet, the pump does away with an onboard screen in favor of being controlled through a compatible smartphone app. The Flex uses MiniMed's SmartGuard algorithm to automatically adjust insulin delivery based on glucose readings and supports the company's Simplera Sync continuous glucose monitor as well as the Instinct sensor made by Abbott. It is also compatible with MiniMed's extended infusion sets, which can be worn for up to seven days.
MiniMed also closed its Nasdaq IPO on March 9, raising $560 million in gross proceeds. Medtronic retained about 90% ownership of the company following the offering.
That ownership arrangement has since changed. On Oct. 15, MiniMed completed its separation from Medtronic, becoming a fully independent company.