Dexcom finds CGM use helps people with Type 2 diabetes stay in range
As Dexcom works to build a case for broader use of continuous glucose monitors, the company touted new data that point to CGM use for people with Type 2 diabetes.
New results from a study funded by Dexcom found that adults with Type 2 diabetes saw a significant improvement in time-in-range when they used a CGM, but those who stopped using it for six months saw their time-in-range decrease.
Earlier this year, Dexcom shared initial findings from the MOBILE study, which enrolled 175 adults with Type 2 diabetes who used basal insulin. They were randomized to either use a CGM for eight months or continue with blood-glucose monitoring. Those who used the CGM saw a significant improvement in time-in-range.
A continuation of the study divided the CGM users into two groups: 53 people who continued to use a CGM, and 53 who reverted back to blood-glucose monitoring to manage their care for six months.
While time-in-range was stable, at 57%, for those who continued to use a CGM, the people who discontinued use saw their time in range decrease from 62% to 50% over the six months.
A similar pattern played out across both groups looking at HbA1c levels, although the differences between the groups were not statistically significant.
People who continued using a CGM saw their mean HbA1c decrease from 9.1% to 8.1% after 14 months. Those who discontinued using the CGM saw it decrease from 9.1% to 7.9% in the first eight months of CGM use, but increase back up to 8.2% after discontinuing with the CGM. Meanwhile, those who only used blood-glucose monitoring for the duration of the study saw their HbA1C levels decrease from 9% to 8.5%.
The researchers concluded that the benefit of CGM use in patients with Type 2 diabetes was sustained through 14 months.
“When CGM is discontinued, much, but not all, of the benefit of CGM on glycemic outcomes is lost,” they wrote, though there wasn’t enough data to determine how quickly that benefit was lost.
Although the number of people in the study was limited, it did include a wide variety of racial and socioeconomic backgrounds. Roughly half of participants were of a minority race or ethnicity, and about half had no more than a high school education.
Dexcom, which manufactures CGMs, has been working to make a case for a broader user base. But even as it publishes data on CGM efficacy in people with Type 2 diabetes, many patients with Type 1 diabetes still don’t have access.
A survey conducted by SVB Leerink earlier this year estimated that CGM patients will increase by 38% this year and 29% in 2022, driven by adoption among both Type 1 and Type 2 patients.
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