San Diego’s Dexcom, a maker of continuous glucose monitors, laid out plans for a new wearable device coming in 2024 for people with Type 2 diabetes who don’t need insulin — a move that could help bring wearable health monitors closer to the mainstream.
But the company’s move to create a device designed for people who don’t use insulin highlights its evolution in the wearable medical device market, where it has begun testing other chemicals in the blood beyond glucose for potential future sensors. Earlier this year, Dexcom’s latest glucose monitor — the G7 — rolled out in the U.S. and 14 countries to date. It targets people living with Type 1 diabetes and insulin-taking Type 2 patients, where crashes or spikes in blood sugar levels can be dangerous.
Medicare provides coverage for glucose monitors for these groups. Many private insurers do as well, and Medicare has been gradually expanding diabetes-related conditions where monitors are eligible for coverage. Dexcom also has been working to drive continuous glucose monitor use for gestational diabetes, as well as in hospitals for glucose management of admitted patients, where necessary.