The Change Mariner

Abbott Labs Awaits Approval For Nonstop Glucose Monitor

Wall Street Journal:

Measuring the level of glucose in the blood is a daily chore for the estimated 13 million people in the U.S. diagnosed with diabetes, one that involves pricking the skin and drawing blood. It's also a good-sized business: Glucose monitors ring up more than $5 billion in sales world-wide annually, and the market is forecast to grow 10% to 12% annually.

The monitors now in use give patients a snapshot of blood-sugar levels at a given moment. But a device from Abbott Laboratories that is awaiting marketing approval would provide continuous readings, and not require multiple daily pinpricks. That kind of continuous monitoring could transform the way many diabetics manage their disease. "Continuous monitors are the future of diabetes care," said Martin J. Abrahamson of the Joslin Clinic in Boston.

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The FDA is now reviewing Abbott's device, called the Freestyle Navigator, and the company has applied for it to be used instead of finger-stick tests. Abbott is hoping it can get on the market in 12 to 18 months.

The device consists of a small, paper-thin probe that constantly takes blood-sugar readings from the fluid under the skin, transmitting them wirelessly to a gadget the size of a pager. The user, who would insert a new probe every three days, gets a new blood-sugar reading every 60 seconds. An arrow also indicates whether blood sugar is rising, holding steady, or falling, and how quickly.

Posted by Bob King at May 4, 2004 08:58 AM | TrackBack
Related Categories: Industry - Healthcare | Industry - Pharmaceutical/Biotech | Quadrant - Technological | Theme - 'Obesity Epidemic'

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