ABBOTT PARK, IL, Aug. 8, 2017 /CNW/ - Abbott today announced that its FreeStyle® Libre Flash Glucose Monitoring System a revolutionary new glucose-sensing technology for Canadian adults with diabetes is now available for pre-order in Canada.
The first-of-its-kind system, FreeStyle Libre eliminates the need for routine finger sticks,1 requires no finger stick calibration, and reads glucose levels through a sensor that can be worn on the back of the upper arm for up to 14 days.
Abbott’s Freestyle Libre system is now available for pre-order online only at MyFreeStyle.ca, at a cost of $49 for the reader, and $89 for each sensor (each sensor lasts for 14 days).
HOW THE FREESTYLE LIBRE SYSTEM WORKS
With traditional blood glucose monitoring systems, people with diabetes have to stick their finger a number of times throughout the day1,2 to test their glucose levels. With Abbott’s FreeStyle Libre system, Canadians with diabetes now have a convenient, less painful alternative to get a glucose reading.
The disposable sensor is worn on the back of the upper arm. The system measures glucose every minute in interstitial fluid through a small filament that is inserted just under the skin and held in place with a small adhesive pad. The sensor can read glucose levels through clothing,3 making testing more convenient and discreet. Each scan displays a real-time glucose result, an eight-hour historical trend and the direction the glucose is heading. The reader holds up to 90 days of data, providing a historical snapshot of glucose levels over time.
FreeStyle Libre system, which is being used by more than 300,000 people globally,4 is clinically proven to be accurate and consistent over a 14-day period, without the need for finger stick calibration.
“Patient glucose monitoring is an essential component of achieving effective diabetes control particularly for patients being treated with insulin,” said Bernard Zinman, M.D., director of the Leadership Sinai Centre for Diabetes and senior investigator at the hospital’s Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute. “The ability for patients to easily obtain reliable and detailed self-glucose measurements, including current level and trend direction of glucose without routine finger sticks, provides the person with diabetes valuable insights into their care.”
ACCESS TO FREESTYLE LIBRE
To ensure people with diabetes will have immediate access to FreeStyle Libre system once it becomes commercially available in mid-September, Abbott has secured inclusion of the product in the reimbursement coverage plan of select Canadian insurers who will notify their members upon product availability.
ABOUT ABBOTT
At Abbott, we’re committed to helping people live their best possible life through the power of health. For more than 125 years, we’ve brought new products and technologies to the world in nutrition, diagnostics, medical devices and branded generic pharmaceuticals that create more possibilities for more people at all stages of life. Today, 94,000 of us are working to help people live not just longer, but better, in the more than 150 countries we serve.
Connect with us at www.abbott.com, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Abbott and on Twitter @FreeStyleDiabet, @AbbottNews and @AbbottGlobal.
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1 American Diabetes Association Standards of medical care in diabetes 2014. Diabetes Care January 2014, v37 suppl1 s21-22
2 Canadian Diabetes Association Clinical Practice Guidelines Expert Committee, Monitoring Glycemic Control, Can J Diabetes v37 April 2013 s35-s39
3 The reader can capture data from the sensor when it is within 1cm to 4cm of the sensor.
4 Data on file, Abbott Diabetes Care
SOURCE Abbott Diabetes Care Canada
