Abbott has got FDA clearance for Lingo in the US – and announced a new consumer-grade CGM aimed at Type 2 diabetics
Abbott has got FDA clearance for its Lingo blood glucose tracking system and Libre Rio, a new over-the-counter continuous glucose monitor.
Abbott is one of the leaders in continuous glucose monitors (CGMs). And Lingo is the company’s metabolic health play – aimed at non-diabetics.
Lingo has been live in the UK for around a year, but it’s yet to get regulatory approval in Abbott’s native US.
Abbott powers a huge array of metabolic health programs, such as Zoe, Levels, Nutrisense and January – so it’s natural that as a leader in the space, it would try and wrestle back control.
But there has been shift towards the benefits of CGMs for healthy people, who can use the data to lose weight and flatten blood sugar spikes, which can lead to improved energy and health.
The company’s FreeStyle Libre CGM has been transformative for suffers of type 1 diabetes, who require up to the second measurement of their blood sugar levels.
The Libre Rio is designed to be sold over the counter, which will reduce the cost of entry for Type 2 diabetics – and non-diabetics – using Lingo.
The announcement of Rio looks like a riposte to Dexcom Stelo. The service is similar to Lingo, but aimed at Type 2 diabetics looking to get their symptoms under control. We interviewed Dexcom CEO Jake Leach at CES 2024 about Stelo.
Crucially, Stelo will use a more basic CGM than the Dexcom G7, which will help keep costs down.
In the UK, Lingo uses the Abbott Freestyle Libre – so it’s good that a more cost-effective option is coming down the pipe.
