Abbott gets USFDA clearance for 2 new OTC continuous Glucose monitoring system

Abbott's consumer biowearable, Lingo, is designed for consumers 18 years and older who are looking to improve their overall health and wellness. Lingo will track glucose and provide personalized insights and customized coaching to help people create healthy habits, retrain their metabolism and improve their overall well-being.

According to a University of North Carolina study, only 12 percent of Americans are metabolically healthy based on five key indicators of metabolic health, including glucose levels, indicating that most of the U.S. population has room to improve their metabolism. In addition, in a recent online consumer survey conducted by The Harris Poll on behalf of Abbott, 82 percent of Americans say they would change their habits if a biowearable provided actionable, personalized coaching to help them manage their health.

The Lingo system combines a biosensor that is worn on the upper arm for 14 days and continuously streams glucose data to a coaching application on a smart phone – translating the body's language and giving insights on the person's reaction to food, exercise and life's daily stressors.

"Continuous glucose monitors are a tool I recommend to my patients to raise their overall awareness of factors that affect their glucose and are an invaluable holistic wellness solution," said Fred St. Goar, M.D., cardiologist and medical director of El Camino Health Heart and Vascular Institute. "Research has shown that overall lower glucose exposure in the general population is associated with reduced long-term risk to developing cardiovascular disease, diabetes, Alzheimer's and certain cancers. Making continuous glucose monitors widely available will undoubtedly have a dramatic effect on the overall health and well-being of the broader population."

Libre Rio will be Abbott's first over-the-counter CGM system for people with diabetes in the U.S. It is designed for people ages 18 and older with Type 2 diabetes who do not use insulin and typically manage their diabetes through lifestyle modifications. Libre Rio is the over-the-counter CGM system with a measurement range of 40-400 mg/dL, allowing for measurement of extremely low or high glucose events.

Diabetes is among the top public health challenges in the U.S., with approximately 38.4 million people living with the condition. FreeStyle Libre systems have been available over-the-counter in more than 50 countries over the last decade; however, in the U.S., they have only been available through prescription.

Libre Rio will join Abbott's overall Libre portfolio of CGM systems, now used by about 6 million people across more than 60 countries. The Libre portfolio in the U.S. consists of the FreeStyle Libre 2 and FreeStyle Libre 3 systems for people with all types of diabetes – Type 1, Type 2 and gestational. FreeStyle Libre systems require a prescription and have wide reimbursement by most major insurers in the U.S. Libre Rio may make it easier for Americans with diabetes to try a CGM and begin to see progress toward their health goals, empowering them with information to discuss with their healthcare provider at their next visit, the Company stated.

Clinical and real-world data from the millions of people that use FreeStyle Libre systems show that the technology helps people improve their glucose control, lower their HbA1c, decrease diabetes-related hospital admissions, and improve their quality of life. Libre systems consist of a biosensor placed on the back of the arm for up to 15 days, and a reader or a compatible smartphone app, which displays glucose measurements.

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