Bayer Previews Its Early-Stage, User-Friendly Continuous Glucose Monitor at ATTD 2011

Bayer presented an interactive overview of its CGM product in development, which has a number of features that the company says will make it easier to use than current systems. The receiver, which manages wireless communication with the sensor, resembles the currently available Contour USB blood glucose meter (see Test Drive in diaTribe #19). It comes with a built-in glucose meter compatible with Contour strips and even a built-in USB port for convenient CGM data upload. This port will come with pre-installed software that should make uploads and data analysis quite straightforward – no cables, CD-ROMs or downloads. The sensor’s features resemble those of other sensors currently on the market: a seven-day sensor life, one-minute data intervals, a 10-foot receiver range, and twice-daily calibration. Notably, the gauge of the sensor was said to be very small (31-gauge at its widest point), compared to currently marketed CGM devices, which are larger (21- to 27-gauge). Sensor insertion in Bayer’s CGM is assisted by instructions on the receiver display. Bayer didn’t provide details on the timing of its development and regulatory submission; however, since the technical development is not yet complete, we assume the product is at least two years from being available. –ST