For millions of people with diabetes, Abbott's FreeStyle Libre technology means easy, seamless glucose monitoring. That technology is the foundation of what is expected to be a big advancement in diabetes tech and another example of Abbott's expanding presence in biowearables.

The company is developing a first-of-its-kind dual monitoring system that will enable people with diabetes to continuously monitor glucose and ketone levels in one sensor. That sensor happens to be the same size as Abbott's FreeStyle Libre 3 sensor — the world’s smallest and thinnest^1,2  continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) sensor.

The goal is early detection of diabetic ketoacidosis, a potentially fatal condition in which ketones — chemicals produced by the liver and used for energy — climb to dangerous levels in the blood.

This technology, currently in development, received breakthrough device designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. This designation is designed to expedite the review of innovative technologies that can improve the lives of people with life-threatening or irreversibly debilitating diseases or conditions. Pivotal trials for Abbott’s dual monitoring system will take place in 2023 followed by regulatory submissions thereafter.

This innovative technology will further differentiate the FreeStyle Libre system, already used by 4 million people worldwide³.

Abbott plans to partner with leading insulin pump manufacturers to make the dual monitoring system interoperable with insulin delivery systems. This comes as Abbott already is working to connect its FreeStyle Libre system with insulin delivery products developed by Insulet , Novo Nordisk and Tandem Diabetes Care , to help make managing diabetes even easier.

Get more details on Abbott's pioneering biowearable and how it can help detect diabetic ketoacidosis.

References

¹Data on file, Abbott Diabetes Care.

²Among patient-applied sensors.

³Data on file, Abbott Diabetes Care. Data based on the number of users worldwide for the FreeStyle Libre portfolio compared to the number of users for other leading personal use, sensor-based glucose monitoring systems.