Small company DexCom, finds itself a leader in continuous glucose monitoring, the hottest new segment of glucose monitoring, a business otherwise dominated by giant companies. Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) is all the buzz at diabetes and critical care clinical meetings these days. CGM systems give diabetic patients in the home (or the hospital) glucose readings at any hour of the day without the need to get out the finger-stick testing paraphernalia. More than that, though, CGM is a new tool for achieving tight glycemic control, and avoiding the excursions above and below the normal glucose levels, which are responsible for the hospitalizations as well as the long-term harmful consequences of diabetes. As a frontrunner in the field, DexCom shares with Medtronic the challenge of proving the value of CGM to payers, especially since the task involves throwing over the gold standard by which successful glycemic control is measured-the HbA1c test.
John Lennon said that life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans. For DexCom Inc., that’s not a bad thing. Founded in 1999, DexCom tried, but failed, to develop a fully implantable glucose sensor that would last for at least a year and help patients with diabetes avoid the numerous daily finger-sticks required to measure their blood glucose. Along the way, however, it did succeed in gaining FDA approval for a sensor that enables continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) for seven days at a time, and that may be enough to revolutionize diabetes care.
CGM is a hot topic at diabetes and critical care clinical meetings these days. CGM systems give diabetic patients in the home (or the hospital) glucose readings at any hour...
