Dexcom launches Stelo, the first over-the-counter continuous glucose monitor | Wilnesh News

Dexcon on Monday declare Its new over-the-counter continuous glucose monitor Stelo is officially launched in the United States

Glucose is a type of sugar that people get from food and is the body’s main source of energy. A continuous glucose monitor (CGM) is a small sensor that pierces the skin to instantly measure blood sugar levels. They are often prescribed for people with diabetes because they can help alert the user, their loved ones, and doctors to emergencies.

Stelo is primarily aimed at people with prediabetes or type 2 diabetes who don’t take insulin, but it can also be purchased by individuals without either condition. Users can purchase one month of service online for $99, or an ongoing subscription for $89 per month.

Dexcom said patients will also have the option to pay for Stelo using their flexible spending accounts and health savings accounts, according to a statement.

The company already offers continuous glucose monitors for people 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 insurance coverage for the sensor, Stelo is now available to the millions of Type 2 patients who don’t have access to a prescription or insurance. It also marks the company’s official entry into a new and potentially lucrative pre-diabetes market.

Dexcom said more than 125 million Americans with prediabetes or type 2 diabetes do not use insulin, according to a statement. The company designed Stelo to help teach this patient population how to keep blood sugar levels within a healthy range.

“The idea is to help people understand dietary choices and habits over time and how those choices and habits affect blood sugar,” Dexcom Chief Operating Officer Jake Leach told CNBC. “This is About discovering something you’ve never seen before and using it to create healthier habits.”

how it works

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Stelo in March. It’s the first over-the-counter continuous glucose monitor approved for use, although Dexcom’s competitors Abbott Two similar devices were licensed in June.

Leach said Dexcom is working with Amazon Complete Stelo delivery. Subscribers can choose to skip or adjust their delivery dates, but they are typically scheduled every 30 days from initial sign-up.

The Stelo is worn on the upper arm and lasts for 15 days before needing to be replaced. It was gray, about the size of a quarter, and about half an inch thick.

The sensor wirelessly transmits data to a smartphone app. When users set up, they will choose whether they have type 2 diabetes, prediabetes, or none of the above. This helps establish their “target range,” which is the range Dexcom wants users to try to maintain their blood sugar levels within. The target range is based on established medical standards, with most people having levels between 70 and 180 mg/dL. American Diabetes Association.

When they open the Stelo homepage, they’ll see their latest reading, updated every 15 minutes. They’ll also see a graph of daily readings, which includes green shaded areas indicating target ranges. If they scroll down, they’ll see a summary of time spent within the target range over time.

Everyone’s blood sugar levels are variable, but Stelo sends notifications to users when they experience large blood sugar spikes. Blood sugar spikes occur when the amount of sugar in the blood increases quickly and then decreases. This often happens after eating.

In the short term, blood sugar spikes can cause feelings of fatigue, but over time, high blood sugar levels can lead to more serious health problems, such as diabetes, heart disease, and kidney disease. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That’s why Dexcom wants users to try to keep their levels within Stelo’s target range.

The tab next to the home page is the Activity page, where Stelo users can log meals, activities, finger sticks, or other notes. Leach said it’s most important for users to log entries when they experience large spikes so they can reflect on what may have caused them.

Stelo notifies users of noteworthy spikes, so they don’t necessarily receive an alert every time the level rises. Leach said this was an intentional design choice to draw attention to the larger fluctuations experienced by patients.

“Even for people with normal blood sugar and occasional spikes, it looks for the most impactful spikes and then tries to get the user to say, ‘Okay, what’s going on there?'” he said.

For users who want to learn more about blood sugar and understand what causes it to rise, there is a wealth of educational material available in the app’s Learning tab. The articles are short, sometimes just a few sentences, and divided into categories such as “Stelo Basics,” “Glucose Deep Dive,” “Nutrition,” “Exercise,” “Sleep,” and “Stress.”

CNBC quizzes Stelo

I’ve been testing Stelo since early August. Overall, I think it’s easy to use and helpful.

When my monitor arrived in the mail, the first order of business was to attach the sensor to my arm and pair it with the Stelo app. I found the process to be very easy – the app walked me through it 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 popped out. It happens quickly and doesn’t hurt at all.

The monitor connects to the Stelo app via Bluetooth and then takes about half an hour to warm up.

This is where I initially ran into some problems. After my device warmed up, I received an error message that said “brief sensor problem.” The message told me not to remove the CGM and that the problem was temporary. I kept it on during the day, but at night I noticed slight bleeding. I decided to remove that sensor.

I applied another CGM on the other arm, which warmed up and worked fine. I’ve been wearing it ever since and haven’t had any bleeding issues. Leach said that if users have questions about the product, they can send a message to the chat interface on the Stelo website to seek replacement products or answer questions.

Once I had my second sensor fully up and running, everything went smoothly.

I found the Stelo app to be easy to use. i never felt As much as I get overloaded with too much data or too many notifications, logging meals and exercise is easy. Users also have the option to import their sleep and activity data from the Apple Health app or Android’s Health Connect app, which I think is a great touch.

If this is your first time using CGM, I definitely recommend reading the articles in the “Learn” tab. I think Dexcom does a good job of using simple, easy-to-understand language to explain what glucose is, what affects it, and why it’s important.

The longer I wear the sensor, the more I can see the algorithm adjusting to me and my habits. I don’t get a notification every time my blood sugar spikes, but it does alert me when I experience a particularly large jump. The app is also starting to learn my patterns. For example, it recently told me that my blood sugar tends to spike between 5 and 7 p.m., usually when I eat dinner.

Most of the time, I forget I’m even wearing the sensor. It’s waterproof so I don’t have to worry about it in the shower. And I didn’t notice it when I was sleeping. I recommend being a little careful when wearing long sleeves as the sensor can get a little stuck, but it’s easy to wear all types of clothing and jackets over it.

In the short time I’ve been using Stelo, I’ve learned a lot about how my body reacts to certain foods. Even small adjustments (like eating carbs last) help me reduce my peaks. It’s easy to see how continuous glucose monitoring can be a valuable window into the body. If you’re looking for an easy-to-understand entry point into understanding your blood sugar data, I think Stelo is a great choice.