Abbott has obtained Health Canada licencing for its new glucose sensing technology FreeStyle Libre Flash Glucose Monitoring System for adults with diabetes.
The new system uses a disposable sensor that can be worn on the upper arm to read glucose levels for around 14 days, eliminating the need for fingerstick calibration.
FreeStyle measures the glucose in interstitial fluid every minute via a small filament that is to be inserted beneath the skin and held in place using a small adhesive pad.
With every scan, the system provides real-time glucose results, glucose direction, and eight-hour historical trend. The reader retains data for approximately 90 days.
The visual snapshot of glucose fluctuations that occur during a day is delivered by the system as an ambulatory glucose profile (AGP), enabling a measure of hypoglycaemic and hyperglycaemic levels for accurate diabetes management.
Abbott Canada Diabetes Care general manager Badia Boudaiffa said: "Bringing FreeStyle Libre to the three million people living with diabetes across Canada is a major milestone.
“This technology not only transforms how people have been testing their glucose levels for decades, it also may support improved overall diabetes management."
Upon evaluation in the IMPACT clinical trial, the FreeStyle Libre system was found to allow diabetes patients to spend 38% less time in hypoglycaemia when compared to patients using standard self-monitoring of blood glucose systems (SMBG).
The results further indicated that the system enables better hypoglycaemia management without an increase in HbA1c levels.
