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By Josh Enomoto, Benzinga
Introduced in the late 1990s, continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) revolutionized diabetes care. Prior to CGM, home blood glucose monitoring (BGM) methodologies – which involve patients using a lancet to prick their fingers and apply a drop of blood to a test strip – represented the norm. Still, even with the rise of CGM, several challenges remain. That’s what Glucotrack Inc. (NASDAQ: GCTK) is looking to address.
In particular, while current CGM solutions have improved quality of life via informed decision-making, several obstacles – including discomfort and inconvenience – have left many patients as well as medical professionals wanting. Glucotrack aims to fill the opportunity gaps in the CGM industry by directly addressing the pain points of the contemporary standard of care.
Most importantly, Glucotrack’s mainline innovation – known as the Continuous Blood Glucose Monitor (CBGM) – focuses on the patient. Diabetes affects 38 million people in the U.S. alone, according to the CDC, and it's the eighth leading cause of death, contributing to serious complications like kidney disease, blindness and cardiovascular risk. With such a vast population facing the daily burden of managing their blood sugar, innovations like Glucotrack’s real-time monitoring system could be essential to improving quality of life and healthcare outcomes.
Assessing The Current State Of CGM Technology
According to a publication posted by the National Library of Medicine, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first “professional” CGM in 1999. Since that time, there have been several major advancements in the technology. However, commercially available CGMs tend to measure glucose in interstitial fluid and not directly from blood. And, until relatively recently, all CGM devices required calibration via blood glucose measurements extracted from the fingerstick process. Generally, the calibration process is used to improve system accuracy by comparing it to a blood glucose measurement from a fingerstick.
Even with the latest advancements, several challenges and inconveniences remain. Among the most vexing for patients is a lack of a platform that addresses all major concerns. Instead, sufferers of diabetes must compromise across a range of different sets of pros and cons.
Abbott Laboratories (NYSE: ABT) has established a strong presence in diabetes management with its CGM system, FreeStyle Libre. Libre offers accurate and continuous glucose monitoring, but the platform also requires frequent sensor changes (every 14-15 days, depending on the model) and the use of a wearable.
Dexcom (NASDAQ: DXCM) is also among the leaders in CGM technology, offering accurate and continuous glucose tracking. However, reports indicate the company’s platform falls short in terms of the adhesive patch potentially not properly sticking to the patient’s skin at all times.
Senseonics Holdings Inc. (AMEX: SENS) has gained in popularity thanks to its product Eversense, an implantable CGM with a sensor life of up to six months, with the FDA recently clearing use for one year. While an enticing proposition, the system requires frequent calibration and patients still need to wear a transmitter over the skin.
Medtronic PLC (NYSE: MDT) represents another of the innovative powerhouses in diabetes care, with its CGM integrated into a broader diabetes management ecosystem. Nevertheless, the underlying platform still requires regular calibration and the use of wearables.
In contrast, Glucotrack seeks to address these shortcomings of contemporary CGM devices. One of the most distinct advantages of the company’s solution is a much longer sensor life. Moreover, it does away with wearables while providing real-time blood glucose monitoring.
Key Advantages Of The Glucotrack System
As mentioned earlier, sensor life represents a core struggle of many diabetes patients managing their condition. On one end of the scale, Abbott’s FreeStyle Libre, Dexcom systems and Medtronic systems offer a relatively pain-free sensor application process. However, the sensor requires replacement after 7-15 days, depending on the model.
On the other hand, Senseonic offers a sensor life of up to half a year, with one-year recently approved by the FDA. This system is implantable, but still requires the need for a wearable transmitter, which impacts the patient’s quality of life. Furthermore, according to internal market research performed by Glucotrack, 73% of endocrinologists favor devices with a sensor life of three years.
As shared in an earlier Benzinga article, the key advantage of the Glucotrack system is that the underlying implantable CBGM features a sensor that can last up to three years. That’s a significant improvement over many more popular options, thus reducing the frequency and hassle of updating prescriptions and ordering supplies.
Speaking of organic benefits, Glucotrack’s device eliminates the need for wearables. This advantage automatically resolves common concerns tied to continuous glucose monitoring, including adhesive skin irritation, sensor detachment during activities and the burden of managing supplies and copayments.
Another important attribute of the Glucotrack system is its real-time blood glucose measurement capabilities. Such measurements may provide much more accurate readings because the use of blood dramatically cuts the lag time present in traditional interstitial glucose monitors.
Significantly, real-time measurements may potentially facilitate improved safety. Thanks to the quicker testing data, patients may be able to respond more quickly to urgent matters, such as low or high blood sugar events. This attribute may potentially reduce the risk of severe complications like diabetic ketoacidosis or hypoglycemic coma.
A core advantage that Glucotrack claims is CBGM’s broad interest among healthcare professionals. The company recently conducted proof of concept research among 100 endocrinologists and 50 primary care providers (PCPs), which yielded much data, including the following statistics:
Finding the implantable CBGM concept an intriguing and innovative one, 42% of endocrinologists expressed willingness to adopt the platform following approval and at a sensor life of only two years.
Even more so than endocrinologists, PCPs have vocally expressed eagerness to try the implantable CBGM, with 68% willing to adopt the system at a sensor life of only two years.
Individual PCPs reported that Glucotrack’s device can be a “game changer for diabetics,” along with labeling the concept itself as “genius.”
Finally, Glucotrack offers an intuitive interface, requiring minimal calibration and thus reducing the daily burdens that patients must follow.
Rising Need For CGM Innovation
According to Lancet’s global burden studies, chronic conditions represented the root of 74% of all deaths across the world. That’s a noticeable rise from 67% of deaths in 2010, reflecting the rising prevalence of chronic diseases, of which diabetes is one.
As such, the rise of diabetes – particularly type 2 and prediabetes – represents a significant area of concern. However, for Glucotrack, the main focus is on insulin-using people with diabetes, as these patients require continuous monitoring due to insulin therapy.
With this population segment also growing, finding advanced solutions to address their unique challenges becomes even more critical. It’s not just about the inconveniences of frequent sensor changes and the irritation and discomfort involved in everyday utilization of standard CGM devices. It’s often also limiting the ability to participate in some activities such as swimming or hot yoga due to concerns about the wearable falling off.
By facilitating a long-lasting alternative, Glucotrack’s CBGM makes glucose monitoring less intrusive and potentially more accessible. Most significantly, the accuracy behind real-time glucose measurements reported by the company may potentially improve quality of life and in some acute situations save it.
Empowering Diabetes Care With Real-Time Solutions
In an ever-growing diabetes landscape, Glucotrack’s advancements in continuous glucose monitoring offer a potential solution to the persistent challenges faced by insulin-using people with diabetes. By addressing key pain points such as short sensor life, the discomfort of wearables and the hassle of frequent replacements, Glucotrack potentially positions itself as a transformative force in diabetes care.
Additionally, with its reported real-time, accurate blood glucose measurements, long-lasting sensor and lack of an intrusive wearable, the CBGM system not only improves day-to-day management but also has the potential to prevent life-threatening complications. As the need for better diabetes care intensifies, Glucotrack is looking to offer a brighter, healthier future for millions of people managing this chronic disease.
Featured photo by Brooke Cagle on Unsplash
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