A raft of new products to reduce the chore of living with diabetes, are in the pipeline from Dexcom. The innovations called G7, a new slimline super fast continuous glucose monitor; Dexcom ONE which transmit continuous glucose monitoring to a smart phone, and a variety of application programming interfaces – APIs which allow computers to talk to each other, all represent big advances.
Dexcom has already set up a partnership with Garmin, maker of smart watches, and Garmin has launched apps to be used in conjunction with Dexcom devices to give people with T1 or T2D a quick way to see glucose levels and trends, even while they are working out. The new apps are also compatible with bike computers.
Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) is increasingly replacing the need for constant finger pricking to sample blood glucose levels. It works by a tiny sensor inserted just under the skin on the stomach or arm, measuring ‘interstitial’ glucose – the level of glucose found in the fluid between cells. The sensor tests the glucose every few minutes and wirelessly transmits the information to a monitoring device.
However, market analysts say the despite its obvious benefits, CGM remains relatively underused because it is perceived as complicated. That view is now set to change: “New products like G7 are important because they improve patient experience which makes it more likely that patients will say yes to CGM therapy over the alternative (fingersticks),” said Travis Steed of Barclays. “The G7 will be an important product that helps make CGM the standard of care for patients who use insulin therapy.”
Dexcom chairman and chief executive Kevin Sayer, says the company is scaling up manufacturing plans with new and expanded operations in Malaysia, Arizona and San Diego to meet the anticipated growth in demand. “By the end of 2023, if we build out the way we’re planning, we’re going to have the capacity to build hundreds of millions of these things, whereas we’re only selling tens of millions of sensors now,” he said. Meanwhile, the G7 is being launched in Britain later this year.
