The FDA has okayed a "professional" continuous glucose monitor (CGM) that allows patients real-time access to their blood glucose data while keeping it blinded to physicians, according to a company press release.
The agency , which gives patients unblinded feedback but enables the doctor to review glucose data retrospectively, Dexcom announced Tuesday.
Professional CGMs differ from personal CGMs in that they are owned and issued by the physician's office and require an interpretation. They're often used in research or for specific blood glucose studies, and typically do not offer patients real-time access to their blood glucose data.
Personal CGMs, on the other hand, are owned by the patient, and enable regular checking of blood sugar levels.
The Dexcom device also tracks data for 7 days, instead of 3 days as is the case with most current professional CGMs, Dexcom CEO Terrance Gregg told 51˶.
Experts contacted by 51˶ said the benefit of having a real-time professional CGM is that patients can test drive the device to see whether they like it, and the doctor can still bill for the interpretation.
Having instantaneous access to blood glucose data may make the idea of personal CGM more appealing to patients, making them more likely to get a personal one, the researchers added.