A New England Journal of Medicine study found that Dexcom’s G7 improved blood sugar control and time in range among people with Type 2 diabetes not taking insulin, potentially bolstering calls for wider Medicare coverage.
A Dexcom-funded study published in the New England Journal of Medicine adds weight to the case for wider use of continuous glucose monitors among people with Type 2 diabetes who are not taking insulin, a group that has historically had less access to the devices than insulin users. The findings, first presented at the American Diabetes Association’s Scientific Sessions this summer, arrive as diabetes technology companies press the federal government to broaden Medicare coverage. According to analysts at William Blair, a peer-reviewed paper in a leading medical journal could help prompt a decision from the Centres for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
The study enrolled 440 people across 22 primary care practices in the United States and compared Dexcom’s G7 monitor with routine care. Of the participants, 145 were assigned to wear the sensor and 138 received standard treatment. After 26 weeks, the monitoring group recorded a sharper fall in haemoglobin A1c, a measure of average blood sugar over time, dropping from 8.8% to 7.2%, while the control group declined from 8.7% to 8%. People using the monitor also spent about five more hours a day within the target glucose range of 70 to 180 milligrams per decilitre.
Dexcom said the benefit was seen across a broad mix of patients, including differences in age, sex, race, ethnicity, body mass index, duration of diabetes, income, education, insurance status and use of other glucose-lowering drugs. In a statement carried by Dexcom, Roy Beck, the study’s senior author and medical director of the JAEB Centre for Health Research, said most participants were still using CGM after 26 weeks and that the consistency of the results supported earlier use of the technology in Type 2 diabetes management, before insulin is needed.
The timing of any Medicare expansion remains uncertain, but the new publication strengthens a broader campaign by Dexcom and other device makers to win coverage for non-insulin users. MedTech Dive previously reported that Dexcom has argued for that policy change and has been developing a longer-wear sensor aimed at the roughly 25 million Americans with Type 2 diabetes who are not on insulin. Analysts at Leerink Partners said the latest evidence reinforces the overall data set, while William Blair estimated that expanded coverage could significantly widen the company’s addressable market.
Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical judgment, advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
