Revolutionizing Diabetes Care to make a difference

If FreeStyle Libre had a mantra, it would be "making diabetes management easier and better," begins Ansgar Resch, the Abbott diabetes care vice president and corporate officer for international commercial operations.

Ansgar Resch,  Abbott diabetes care vice president and corporate officer for international commercial operations.

More than seven million customers use FreeStyle Libre technology worldwide — making it the number 1 continuous glucose sensor in the world, and Abbott a world leader in glucose sensing technology.ⁱ The product was born after recognizing the pain and burden that people living with diabetes had to undergo on a daily basis, pricking their fingers to check glucose values. With FreeStyle Libre, people with diabetes can painlessly access those values without fingersticks.ⁱⁱ

As Ansgar explains, reinvention and listening to consumer feedback are what’s made FreeStyle Libre systems so successful. More recently the product evolved to offer greater connectivity between diabetes care devices, seamless software integration for professional diabetes management, and a Libre appⁱ that functions as a central gateway for glucose monitoring and customer service. And while the product continues to evolve, the team hasn't compromised on simplicity and ease of use, he emphasized.

Reinventing Diabetes Care Through the Power of Big Data

Enabling people to better manage their chronic symptoms starts by making diabetes care more intuitive, insightful, and simpler, noted Ansgar. That requires Abbott to really get to know their customers, zeroing in on ways to enhance their experience with every update.

said Ansgar. “We are driven increasingly by data. In fact, we now identify as a software company powered by sensors.”

Through anonymized data protected for privacy, Ansgar and his team get information like how often someone  scan and how it impacts their glycemic control. With those insights, the Abbott Diabetes Care team implemented upgrades to the FreeStyle Libre app, including more actionable alerts and clearer trends in glucose data. Users then benefited from a more intuitive app experience, tailored to individual patient behaviors. From a health perspective, it helps empower them to improve their glycemic control and proactively avoid complications and hospitalizations.

Other digital health tools, such as the LibreView system, enable healthcare providers (HCPs) to leverage these actionable insights and remotely monitor data around patient care. This remote monitoring enables new settings of care and increases the potential for better glycemic control and better outcomes.ⁱⁱ

“Diabetes management is a 24/7 responsibility for people who live with diabetes,” he said. “The FreeStyle Libre app is designed with that in mind – giving users a central hub to get their glucose readings. But what users really appreciate is the integration with diabetes care devices like insulin pumps and smart pens, so that these data can be seamlessly shared with HCPs and inform better care.”

Building a Global Framework for Accessible Diabetes Care Innovation

The increased capabilities of digital health tools are the first critical step to redefining diabetes care, but Ansgar and his team knew their business model also needed to evolve strategically to ensure Abbott’s products are accessible to patients and HCPs worldwide.

His prior experience managing commercial operations in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa prepared him for the complexities of navigating different healthcare systems and tailoring solutions to regional needs. But scaling these efforts globally wasn’t just about solving logistical challenges. Ansgar had to reimagine how Abbott could collaborate with teams across regions to develop a product that met the different needs of customers, regardless of where they live or their unique healthcare needs.

“We want our products to be easy to use, and we also want to mirror this experience in how we do business — whether it’s simplifying customer service interactions or providing people with multiple channels to engage with us,” said Ansgar.

Ansgar’s lean operational structure allows his regional teams to integrate critical functions, such as infrastructure, business planning, and IT systems, while maintaining agility, without creating excess overhead or complexity. “With my expanded role, I cared about building trust and relationships with my new teams across Latin America and Asia Pacific," he stated. “In a commercial organization, it’s all about the people. And in a more competitive market, we need to differentiate not only through the product, but the way we do business.”

Impacting the Diabetes Care Market in the Long Term

Ansgar believes that sensor therapy will progress beyond just users of intensive insulin therapy, because all people with diabetes can benefit from glucose sensing data to better manage their condition. And it goes beyond making therapy decisions in terms of insulin dosages. With the opportunity to get continuous access to their glucose levels, people with diabetes and their HCPs can get an intuitive understanding of their condition early when the opportunity is greatest for effective disease management.^v,vi,vii

Through a broad range of connected devices, people with diabetes can start to adapt their behavior, food intake, sleep, and exercise, helping avoid complications in the first place. "I believe there's a lot of potential for a fundamental change in the trajectory of the condition if we make the technology available to everyone who want to take manage their diabetes condition. Diabetes management should not end with a sensor; it should start with a sensor," he emphasized.

Reinvention continues to be a core part of Abbott's approach to diabetes care. Ansgar noted that one of the next innovations being developed in their R&D pipeline is a future dual-glucose-ketone sensor system, which introduces the ability to monitor ketone levels alongside glucose. This innovation aims to prevent life-threatening complications like diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), particularly among people living with Type 1 diabetes.

“We stay true to our mission: making breakthrough products broadly accessible, constantly working with payers, healthcare systems, and decision-makers to expand access,” concluded Ansgar.

"I truly believe in the Abbott values — pioneering, enduring, caring, achieving — and if you embrace these principles, and have aspirations and drive for change, we can make a difference here in this world."

This story was originally published on Oct. 08, 2020 and updated on Jan. 26, 2026.

References

ⁱData on file, Abbott Diabetes Care. Data based on the number of patients assigned to each manufacturer.

ⁱⁱFingersticks are required for treatment decisions when you see Check Blood Glucose symbol, when symptoms do not match system readings, when you suspect readings may be inaccurate, or when you experience symptoms that may be due to high or low blood glucose.

ⁱⁱⁱThe FreeStyle Libre systems apps are only compatible with certain mobile devices and operating systems. Please check the Support section of our website for more information about device compatibility before using the apps. Use of the FreeStyle Libre systems apps may require registration with LibreView.

^ivKhan, Mehreen, Lusine Gigoyan, and Mary Reed. "Remote glucose monitoring and HbA1c improvement among persons with newly diagnosed diabetes mellitus type 2: A multi-center community-based study." Metabolism Open 26 (2025): 100355. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.metop.2025.100355

^vBolinder et al. 2016, 2254–63.

^viHaak et al. 2017, 55–73.

^viiYaron M et al. 2019, 1178–84.