Twitter Summary: Free from fingersticks? Abbott names its Flash Glucose Monitor system the Freestyle Libre, set to launch in EU by end of 2014

On July 16, Abbott announced that its flash glucose monitoring product will be named the “Freestyle Libre" system, which means “the state of being free.” That seems appropriate given that one of the system's major benefits is freedom from using routine finger sticks. The Freestyle Libre system is set to launch in Europe later this year, though no timeline is currently set for the U.S. Abbott's Freestyle Libre system is designed to be available for both people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

The novel glucose sensing technology was first presented at last year’s EASD conference, the biggest annual European diabetes meeting globally – it’s intended to overcome some of the limitations of both traditional blood glucose monitoring (pain, incomplete data) and current CGM devices (cost, alarm fatigue). Flash Glucose Monitoring consists of a glucose sensor worn under the skin for 14 days. Connected to the sensor will be an on-body patch the size of a one-dollar coin. Users will take a dedicated touchscreen reader device, scan it over the sensor, and in less than one second, will be able to see their real-time glucose value, a glucose trend arrow, and a trend graph showing the last eight hours of data. The sensor can be scanned through clothing, allowing for discretion. And unlike current CGM, the FreeStyle Libre system will be factory calibrated, meaning it will not need routine fingerstick values.

Abbott will hold a symposium on September 15 at this year’s EASD to introduce the Freestyle Libre system to a wider audience. Anyone can register to watch this symposium online –visit the registration page to attend. Abbott is also currently enrolling participants for a trial of the Freestyle Libre system in Europe. For any EU resident interested in enrolling, please read our trial watch. We cannot wait to try the technology and hope that it will eventually make its way to the U.S. –AJW