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By, Lisa Foster-McNulty, MSN, RN, CDE

Dexcom CEO Kevin Sayer says that the G6 will feature several improvements. 

  • It will be incrementally more accurate than the previous generation. 
  • The G6 will labeled for ten day use.  (The current sensor is labeled for seven day use.)  It will need to be calibrated twice with fingerstick blood glucose (BG) values at start up, and then will require calibration only once per day.
  • A new insertion device will reduce the amount of time the introducer needle is in your skin.
  • Using acetaminophen (Tylenol) will not affect the accuracy of the sensor.
  • Dexcom is working on making smaller sensors and transmitters.

Looking to the Dexcom G7 and beyond, the plan is to continue to improve sensor accuracy and require fewer calibrations.  Beginning with this generation, there will be a split into two product lines.  For non-insulin users, Dexcom is working with Google to develop a two-week sensor that would not require calibration.  They would also release a new, more accurate sensor for insulin users to aid in making decisions about insulin dosing. 

At some future point, there will be a sensor for Type 1s, a sensor for Type 2s, and a hospital version, according to Sayer.  Dexcom wants to give each patient group what they are looking for.  They are investigating epaper technology that can receive a signal, so by putting it over a sensor you could see the glucose data directly on the sensor itself.

Dexcom recently released the results of the DiaMonD study which showed that people who are on Multiple Daily Injections (MDI) and use CGMs improved their A1cs by 0.9%.  They had fewer episodes of hypoglycemia and also spent less time low when they did experience hypoglycemia.  The take home point is that health care providers should consider recommending CGM to Type 1 patients who need to improve their diabetes control.  If you can only have one piece of diabetes technology, a CGM has the biggest impact.

It’s exciting to hear about what’s in the pipeline, and we look forward to diabetes technology getting better and better over time!