Abbott steps up production of low-cost CGMs to match climbing diabetes rates
Abbott Laboratories is planning to increase production of its lower-cost continuous glucose monitor (CGM), the FreeStyle Libre, by three to five times in the coming years, Reuters reported July 16.
Abbott executives told Reuters the increase in manufacturing will make room for the American launch of the FreeStyle Libre 2—a next-gen device that’s already been approved in Europe—and lower costs of the original product, making it affordable for an ever-growing population of diabetics.
CGMs have historically been sold to type 1 diabetics, many of whom have “generous” health coverage and would pay around $50 a month to use the FreeStyle Libre. But, with an increasing instance of type 2 diabetes and rising number of uninsured individuals, more patients than ever are looking for an affordable solution to glucose monitoring.
“It’s not good enough to bring this to a small, wealthy population,” Jared Watkin, Abbott’s senior VP for diabetes care, told Reuters. “Diabetes is such a global epidemic that you need to bring products that can really make a dent in that.”
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After graduating from Indiana University-Bloomington with a bachelor’s in journalism, Anicka joined TriMed’s Chicago team in 2017 covering cardiology. Close to her heart is long-form journalism, Pilot G-2 pens, dark chocolate and her dog Harper Lee.