Abbott Offers Freestyle Libre 14 Day System For US Hospitals

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has allowed Abbott’s continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) technology FreeStyle Libre 14 day system, to be used in the hospital setting during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The monitoring system is expected to enable the frontline healthcare workers to remotely monitor patients with diabetes receiving inpatient care by assessing real-time glucose levels.

Charlotte Area Health Education Center performance improvement medical director Eugene E Wright said: “There’s been a spike in demand for health technology as hospitals are looking for ways to minimize COVID-19 exposure, especially to high-risk patients such as people with chronic conditions like diabetes.

“Having access to technology like FreeStyle Libre 14 day system allows physicians to keep a close eye on hospitalized patients while minimizing transmission risks, PPE use and contact with hospital staff.”

FreeStyle Libre 14 day system has demonstrated positive results in previous studies

Abbott will donate 25,000 FreeStyle Libre 14 day sensors, in collaboration with the American Diabetes Association (ADA), Insulin for Life USA and Diabetes Disaster Response Coalition, to support the hospitals and medical centers in COVID-19 outbreak hotspots.

The FreeStyle Libre 14 day sensor, worn on the back of the upper arm, allows users to perform one-second scan using a smartphone, and get real-time glucose readings, historical trends and patterns every minute, and arrows shows the change in glucose levels without the need of fingerstick.

In addition, LibreView, a cloud-based diabetes management system, would enable physicians to receive real-time glucose data and actionable information to make treatment decisions.

The company claimed that its FreeStyle Libre 14 day system has improved glucose control, decreased time in hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia as well as reduced hospitalizations, and HbA1C levels in the recent studies.

Abbott diabetes care senior vice president Jared Watkin said: “We appreciate the FDA’s quick action to make medical products available during this public health crisis.

“By working with our partners at the American Diabetes Association to arm frontline healthcare workers with FreeStyle Libre technology, Abbott will enable them to protect and monitor their patients with diabetes, limit COVID-19 exposure and also manage the influx of critical care needs.”-PR Newswire