A Jonas, a CGM and a look to the future

One of the members of an online diabetes forum I’m in generated much excitement last week when she posted a pic comparing the size of her old FreeStyle Libre sensor with the latest generation, which is about a third of the original’s size. 

“Wow!” “Amazing!” That was the general consensus. 

Smaller in size means less noticeable (less face it, CGMs, while a thing of beauty in terms of technology and their impact on users’ lives, are not, well, pretty to look at). Smaller means less likely to catch on something and get ripped. Smaller means less plastic and other resources in the environmentally conscious times. 

What’s not to love? 

It’s one of many recent advances in diabetes technology, an environment that’s, as CCS’s Linda Langiotti put it so aptly, is a “rapid-fire changing.” Langiotti is chair of the very busy AAHomecare Diabetes Council. I spoke with her for this month’s front page story on changes to Medicare coverage guidelines and other developments in the space. It was far and away our most viewed story for the month. 

Speaking of diabetes, Editor Liz just forwarded me a link to an interview featuring Dexcom and Nick Jonas, who you may know has Type 1 diabetes and has partnered with the diabetes giant for a few years now to talk up CGMs, including a recent appearance at SXSW. 

Jonas is concerned that not enough people either know about the technology or have access to it. I see CGMs and other technology in the wild, so to speak, all the time, but then I’m very tuned into that community. It’s hard to believe not everyone is aware of it, but I certainly try to do my part, though my audience is, uh, not quite as large as that of the Jonas Brothers. 

In the interview, I was particularly struck by one comment he made: 

“Many times I’ve been backstage before a show, and I know that in 20 minutes’ time, when I’m right in the middle of one of our songs, I’m going to have a low blood sugar crash,” said Jonas. 

That, that right there, is the key. To have the opportunity to head off the crash is a beautiful thing. I would have loved to have that ability when I worked retail, but I’ll settle for it now, from my desk job. 

Insulin marked its centennial this year, while CGMs have been around for about 20 and only really come into use in the past five years, says Dexcom COO Jake Leach in that same article. 

I’m excited to see what the future holds.