Ascensia advances diabetes care – with purpose 

PARSIPPANY, N.J. – Diabetes management is taking a “big leap forward” with the Eversense E3, an implantable continuous glucose monitor, which was recently approved for use up to six months, says Elaine Anderson, head of the Eversense CGM business unit at Ascensia Diabetes Care. 

“This is double the lifetime of what people had – you replace it twice (a year),” she said. “It’s not sacrificing accuracy, it’s easy on, easy off so you can take the transmitter off as you need, and it has on-body vibe alerts. If you are moving toward hypoglycemia, you get an alert even without a phone nearby.” 

Anderson spoke with HME News recently about the role end users play in pushing technology forward and why the company is committed to ensuring affordable access. 

‘We have patients in mind’ 

Many of the improvements in the new system came from what people living with diabetes want, says Anderson. 

“We need to make sure we have the patients in mind and that we are hearing from them as we make improvements,” she said. “One technology might not be the best for everyone. I’m biased, but I recognize as an aunt of a Type 1, the change when he moved to a CGM. You can’t underestimate the impact on the quality of life to patients – and their parents.” 

‘We’ve got that awareness’ 

Alongside the U.S. launch of the E3, Ascensia is launching Eversense PASS, a program that charges users $99 out of pocket for their first sensor and smart transmitter. After that, they pay no more than $100 per month or $600 for the duration of each sensor.  

“There’s no use in innovation if there’s no access for what we do,” she said. “We need to make sure patients can benefit and we get it to as many people as possible. And by getting the E3 into the hands of patients, we’re ensuring we’ve got that awareness.” 

‘Future is exciting’ 

The next step is a product that lasts a year, says Anderson. 

“The pilot testing of that has kicked off, and we’re encouraged by the early results,” she said. “(We’re also working on) other innovative products to more intuitively integrate data into decision making and see improvements in key metrics. We all hope for a cure but we’re not there yet, so what can we do with technology to help people live (more fully).”