New over-the-counter device could help diabetics get off medication

PITTSBURGH — A device used by diabetics is now over-the-counter, making it easier for people to get. The device could be so helpful, so diabetics could get off their medications.

The device is called a CGM or continuous glucose monitor. It measures sugar levels in the body.

“It’s a plastic disc that sticks on your skin,” said Dr. Ann-Marie Rosland with the University of Pittsburgh’s Center for Research on Health Care. “There’s a small flexible filament that sticks just under the skin and that filament measures the level of sugar in that fluid under the skin.”

For the first time ever, the Food and Drug Administration is allowing a CGM sold over the counter. Diabetics can get the Dexcom Stello Glucose Biosensor System without a prescription.

“They’re expensive but the over-the-counter versions are being designed either for people who have diabetes but don’t have insurance coverage yet for CGMs, or don’t have access to them,” said Dr. Rosland.

Type one diabetics use CGMs because they are insulin dependent. That is not necessarily the case with many Type two diabetics. Many have to prick their fingers up to four times a day to monitor sugar levels, and possibly take medication. This device eliminates those blood checks.

“The CGM takes that information on your sugar level and sends it to an app on a mobile device like a phone or a tablet and it displays your levels throughout the day, week, however you want to look at it,” said Dr. Rosland.

“You can look at your patterns not minute to minute but over a day or even over a week or a month and think about how all the things in your life might be affecting those sugar levels. What you eat, how you exercise, even things like stress levels or how you sleep that can all be affecting what happens to your sugars.”

The hope is, if people can monitor their sugar levels and see which foods or which activities change it, they could drastically change their health.

“Sometimes when people are able to make changes in their daily routine they can stop taking diabetes medicines that they needed before,” said Dr. Rosland.

The Dexcom Stello Glucose Biosensor system is available through the company. A one-time purchase costs about $100, but there are programs and subscriptions that can reduce the cost.

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