Dexcom’s wearable glucose monitors in pilot program for Type 2 diabetes

Jan. 29--Dexcom and UnitedHealthcare are launching a pilot project to see if continuous glucose monitors can help people with Type 2 diabetes.

* Type 2 diabetes is a growing problem linked to being overweight.

* To date, wearable blood sugar monitors have been most often used by Type 1 patients, who require insulin to manage the disease.

* The pilot project aims to use real time data from monitors, along with personalized coaching, to change behavior and cut medical costs.

Here is the full story:

San Diego's Dexcom has teamed up with insurance giant UnitedHealthcare in a pilot to test whether continuous glucose monitors can help Type 2 diabetes patients better manage the disease at lower cost.

Announced earlier this month at the CES electronics show, the pilot could pave the way for continuous glucose monitors to gain a foothold for the estimated 27 million Americans with Type 2 diabetes -- a progressive form of the disease associated with inactivity and diet.

Today, wearable glucose monitors are used most often by the roughly 1.5 million Americans with Type 1 diabetes, a more serious auto-immune disorder that often requires insulin to manage blood sugar.

The pilot targets UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage participants -- older people who likely have been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes for some time.

Dexcom's technology consists of a sensor -- usually worn on the abdomen -- that reads glucose levels just beneath the skin. A transmitter sends the data to a smartphone, which displays readings every five minutes.

In addition to Dexcom's monitors, people chosen for the pilot will get a fitness tracker and personalized coaching from UnitedHealthcare nurses.

"This allows us to partner the device with a very important coaching program to help individuals interpret the data, make that association with their behavior and help them change," said Dr. Rhonda Randall, chief medical officer for UnitedHealthcare Retiree Solutions. "When you see your blood sugar went too high, did you have a meal that was high in sugar or carbohydrates right before that? When you see your blood sugar went too low, was it related to the time you took your medication?"

Type 2 diabetes is commonly treated through changes in diet and prescription drugs. Over time, people sometimes end up taking multiple oral medications, said Steven Pacelli, executive vice president of Dexcom.

"The healthcare system is paying a ton of money for that," he said. "So can we though this program prevent them -- through behavior modification --from going onto the next expensive drug? Or better yet, can we identify which drugs are working?"

While nearly 30 million Americans suffer from diabetes, another 84 million adults have pre-diabetes, according to a 2017 study by the Centers for Disease Control. Medical expenses for people with diabetes are roughly 2.3 times higher than expenses for people without the disease.

The top makers of glucose monitors -- Dexcom, Abbott, Medtronic and Senseonics -- have been working to make their devices more convenient for users by lowering costs, shrinking the size and eliminating finger pricks for calibration.

Last year, Abbott won regulatory approval in the U.S. for its low-cost Libre sensor, a wearable glucose monitor that doesn't require finger pricks. For the UnitedHealthcare pilot, Dexcom plans to use its Gen 6 sensor, which also works without finger pricks.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is expected to approve Dexcom's Gen 6 sensor by the middle of this year, said Pacelli.

The pilot aims to enroll roughly 10,000 people over the next six to nine months. Patients will join the program in conjunction with their doctors. UnitedHealthcare has 4.3 million people in Medicare Advantage plans nationwide.

Dexcom's shares ended trading Friday at $58.08 on the Nasdaq exchange.

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