Banc Of America Securities Health Care Conference In Brief

Abbott predicts slow CGMS uptake: Abbott/TheraSense's FreeStyle Navigator continuous glucose monitor system (CGMS) is expected to experience a "gradual build-up" in the diabetes market upon FDA approval, since diabetics "have a fair amount of loyalty to their monitors and to their strip technology," CFO Thomas Freyman tells Banc of America Securities Health Care Conference attendees May 19 in Las Vegas. The system will "probably make the most inroads with newer diabetics." Abbott previously predicted approval of its November 2003 PMA submission by early 2005; competitors will include Medtronic's approved Guardian CGMS (1"The Gray Sheet" Feb. 16, 2004, p. 14)...