Dexcom on Monday announced its recent over-the-counter continuous glucose monitor Stelo is officially available within the US
Glucose is a form of sugar that humans get from food and is the body's major source of energy. Continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) are small sensors which might be inserted through the skin to measure glucose levels in real time. They are frequently prescribed to patients with diabetes because they can assist alert the patient, their family members, and their doctor to emergencies.
Stelo is primarily intended for patients with prediabetes or type 2 diabetes who don’t use insulin, although it’s also available for people without those conditions. Users should purchase a month's supply online for $99 or subscribe for $89 per thirty days.
Dexcom said in a press release that patients even have the choice to make use of their flexible spending accounts and health savings accounts to pay for Stelo.
The company already offers continuous glucose monitors for patients with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, but Stelo is Dexcom's first product that doesn't require a prescription. While most Type 1 patients can already get the sensors covered by insurance, Stelo is now accessible to thousands and thousands of Type 2 patients who previously couldn't get a prescription or coverage. It's also the corporate's official foray right into a recent and potentially lucrative prediabetes market.
Dexcom said in a press release that there are greater than 125 million Americans with prediabetes or type 2 diabetes who don’t use insulin. The company developed Stelo to show this group of patients how one can keep their glucose levels in a healthy range.
“The idea is to help people learn more about dietary habits and preferences over time and how those affect blood sugar,” said Jake Leach, chief operating officer at Dexcom, in an interview with CNBC. “It's about uncovering things you've never seen before and then using those to develop healthier habits.”
How it really works
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Stelo in March. It was the primary over-the-counter continuous glucose monitor to be approved to be used, although Dexcom’s competitor, Abbottreceived approval for 2 similar devices in June.
Leach said Dexcom is working with Amazon to make Stelo deliveries. Users with a subscription can skip or adjust their delivery date, but it is going to typically be scheduled at 30-day intervals from their first login.
Stelo is worn on the upper arm and lasts 15 days before needing to get replaced. It is gray, concerning the size of 1 / 4 and about half an inch thick.
The sensor transmits data wirelessly to a smartphone app. During setup, users indicate whether or not they have type 2 diabetes, prediabetes, or not one of the above. This helps establish their “target range,” which is where Dexcom wants users to try to keep up their glucose levels. The goal range relies on established medical standards and is between 70 and 180 milligrams per deciliter for most individuals, in response to the American Diabetes Association.
When they open the Stelo homepage, they'll see their most up-to-date reading, which is updated every quarter-hour. They'll also see a graph of their every day readings, which incorporates a green shaded area indicating the goal range. If they scroll down, they'll see a summary of the time they've spent within the goal range over time.
Everyone's glucose levels are different, but Stelo sends users an alert when a major spike occurs. Glucose spikes occur when the quantity of sugar within the bloodstream rises quickly after which falls again. This often happens after eating.
In the short term, peaks could cause fatigue, but over time, high glucose levels can even result in more serious health problems comparable to diabetes, heart and kidney disease, in response to the Centers for Disease Control and PreventionFor this reason, Dexcom wants users to try to maintain their values inside Stelo's goal range.
The tab next to the house page is the Events page, where Stelo users can log meals, activities, finger pricks or other notes. Leach said it's most vital for users to log an entry once they experience an enormous spike in order that they can reflect on what is likely to be causing it.
Stelo notifies users of notable spikes, in order that they won't necessarily be notified each time their levels go up. Leach says it is a conscious design decision meant to attract attention to the larger fluctuations patients experience.
“Even for someone whose blood sugar is normal and who has occasional spikes, the system looks for the biggest spikes and then tries to reach out to the user and say, 'OK, what happened there?'” he said.
And for users who wish to delve deeper into their blood sugar and understand the causes of blood sugar spikes, there may be a wealth of educational materials available within the app's Learn tab. The articles are short, sometimes just a couple of sentences long, and so they're divided into categories like “Stelo Basics,” “Glucose in Depth,” “Diet,” “Exercise,” “Sleep,” and “Stress.”
CNBC tests Stelo
I've been testing Stelo because the starting of August. Overall, I find it easy to make use of and helpful.
When my monitors arrived within the mail, my first task was to connect the sensor to my arm and pair it with the Stelo app. This process was very straightforward for me – the app guided me through each step with clear step-by-step instructions.
I cleaned the back of my right arm, placed the Dexcom applicator there, pressed the button, and the CGM turned on immediately. It's quick and doesn't hurt in any respect.
The monitor connects to the Stelo app via Bluetooth after which takes about half an hour to warm up.
This is where I initially encountered some issues. After my device warmed up, I received an error message saying “Temporary sensor issue”. The message told me to not remove the CGM and that the difficulty was only temporary. I left it on all day, but by the evening I noticed a slight bleeding. I made a decision to remove the sensor.
I attached one other CGM to my other arm, which warmed up and worked tremendous. I've been wearing it ever since and haven't had any issues with bleeding. Leach said if users have any issues with the product, they’ll send a message to the chat interface on Stelo's website to get a alternative device or have their questions answered there.
After I got my second sensor arrange and running, every thing went easily.
I discovered the Stelo app easy and straightforward to make use of. I never felt like I used to be overloaded with an excessive amount of data or too many notifications, and logging meals and exercise may be very straightforward. Users can even import their sleep and activity data from the Apple Health app or Android's Health Connect app, which I believe is a pleasant touch.
If that is your first time using a CGM, I definitely recommend reading through the articles on the Learn tab. I believe Dexcom does an incredible job of explaining in easy language what glucose is, what it affects, and why it's essential.
The longer I wear the sensor, the more I can tell that the algorithm is adapting to me and my habits. I don't get notified each time my blood sugar level rises, but I get alerted when there may be a very sharp rise. The app can be starting to acknowledge my patterns. For example, it recently told me that my blood sugar level rises between 5 and seven p.m., which is across the time I eat dinner.
Most of the time I even forget that I'm wearing a sensor. It's waterproof, so I didn't should worry about it once I was showering. And I didn't notice it once I was sleeping. I’d advise slightly caution when putting on long-sleeved clothes, because the sensor can get caught slightly, but you possibly can wear all types of garments and jackets over it with none problem.
In the short time I've been using Stelo, I've learned so much about how my body reacts to certain foods. Even small adjustments (eating carbs last, for instance) have helped me reduce spikes. It's easy to see how CGMs can function a beneficial window into the body. If you're on the lookout for a straightforward, accessible method to start understanding your glucose data, I believe Stelo is a solid option.
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