Abbott launches its first over-the-counter continuous glucose monitor within the U.S.

Abbott Laboratories announced Thursday its over-the-counter continuous glucose monitor Lingo is accessible within the U.S. starting at $49. 

Lingo is an element of an emerging class of consumer-friendly biosensors that individuals can use to find out how their bodies reply to food, exercise, sleep and stress. These devices, called continuous glucose monitors, are small sensors that stick through the skin to measure real-time glucose levels. Glucose is a sugar molecule that comes from food, and it is the body’s essential energy source.

Continuous glucose monitors have served as tools for patients with diabetes, but Lingo is just not intended for diabetes management. As an alternative, it’s designed for adults who don’t take insulin and need to “improve their overall health and wellness,” in line with a release. 

Everyone’s glucose levels fluctuate, but consistently high levels may cause more serious health problems like metabolic disease, insulin resistance and heart disease, Abbott said. The corporate argues Lingo can educate users about existing habits and help them learn to administer their glucose in healthier ways.

“That is really the goal, is to not only see and understand what’s happening inside your body, but to have the option to enhance on that, to have the option to construct these healthy habits that drive those changes,” Ben Fohner, the director of Abbott’s Lingo app, told CNBC in an interview. 

Abbott already offers continuous glucose monitors for diabetes patients within the U.S., so the corporate is seeking to break into a wholly latest market with Lingo. About 1 in 3 Americans have prediabetes, as an example, but these patients typically don’t qualify for prescriptions or insurance coverage for the monitors. 

Now, they will pay for the sensors out of pocket with out a prescription. Users should buy one sensor online for $49, two sensors for $89 or six sensors for $249, Abbott said. Each sensor is worn on the upper arm for as much as 14 days. 

Olivier Ropars, Abbott’s divisional vp of Lingo, said the corporate decided to supply three different pricing options so curious consumers won’t feel intimidated by a lengthy commitment. A customer can opt to purchase only one sensor to try for a few weeks.

“We need to make it as accessible and inexpensive as possible,” Ropars told CNBC in an interview. 

Abbott’s competitor, Dexcom, can also be eyeing the prediabetes market. The corporate released its over-the-counter continuous glucose monitor geared toward this demographic in late August. Dexcom’s device is known as Stelo, and is accessible within the U.S. for $89 a month. Patients with Type 2 diabetes who don’t take insulin also can use it, the corporate said.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Dexcom’s Stelo in March, and it cleared two over-the-counter continuous glucose monitoring systems from Abbott in June. One in every of Abbott’s systems was Lingo, and the second system, called Libre Rio, is meant for patients with Type 2 diabetes who don’t take insulin.

Though Type 2 patients who aren’t taking insulin could technically use Lingo, Ropars said Abbott’s suggestion is to primarily use Libre Rio because it is specifically designed for them. The corporate declined to share when Libre Rio might be available.

The Lingo app

Like many continuous glucose monitors, Lingo transmits data wirelessly to an app. When users open it, they’ll see a real-time reading of their glucose data that is updated every minute. 

Those glucose readings are plotted on a graph, which incorporates a shaded area to point a “healthy range.” Fohner said Abbott’s clinical team defines this range as 140 milligrams per deciliter to 70 milligrams per deciliter.

One in every of Abbott’s primary goals is to assist Lingo users study glucose spikes, which occur when the quantity of sugar present within the bloodstream rapidly increases after which decreases. Glucose spikes commonly occur after eating. 

Spikes can push a user’s glucose reading above the healthy range, but they also can occur throughout the healthy range. Limiting spikes and improving glucose management overall will help users improve their sleep and mood, manage their weight, and be proactive about their future health, Abbott said.

To assist users conceptualize the impact of their spikes, Abbott created a metric called the “Lingo Count.” It’s an algorithm that assigns a numeric value to every glucose spike, and it’s imagined to represent how significant the impact is. Over every day, users have a goal Lingo Count that they wish to aim to remain below. 

Users can see this data represented on a second, more interactive glucose graph once they scroll down Lingo’s home page. A number will appear within the shaded area beneath a spike, which represents the Lingo Count for that spike. 

“It’s unique to Lingo, but really that number is an indicator and a function of, how high did your spike go, how long did it last, and what was the impact that that spike had in your body,” Fohner said. 

Users can analyze Lingo Count data and see how they’re doing over time, in addition to what time of day they have a tendency to experience probably the most dramatic spikes. They also can take part in challenges and access educational resources to learn how you can reduce those spikes.  

Ropars said metabolism doesn’t change overnight, and everybody’s bodies work in another way. He said Lingo can function a window into how and why a user’s glucose levels vary. But the true value of Lingo, Ropars said, is the support it may offer users as they fight to ascertain healthy habits.

“Numerous our products today are geared toward helping people who are experiencing a chronic disease or sickness and attempting to get back on target,” he said. “Here, that is the primary time we’re doing a product that helps people, improving their day by day life, taking control of their health before they get sick”