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Latest Meters Articles
Blood Glucose Meters Article Archives
July 2012
Kyrra Richards, who has type 1 diabetes, has transformed her desire for a stylish diabetes carrying case into a thriving business. Her sense of style has struck a chord with a large audience, including a company that is working with her to customize her line to its pump. It’s been several years since Diabetes Health interviewed Kyrra at an AADE conference (http://www.diabeteshealth.com/tv/play/182.html). I spoke to her recently to catch up and see how things were going.
0 comments - Posted Jul 8, 2012
April 2011
A new study has proven that use of a blood glucose meter with advanced features, when paired with diabetes education, more effectively manages blood glucose than using a basic feature meter. This information was presented at the recent 46th European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) Annual Meeting in Stockholm, Sweden.
0 comments - Posted Apr 18, 2011
March 2011
My almost 20 years as a diabetes educator have been memorable in many ways, but certain moments stand out more than others. Because blood glucose testing is an important part of diabetes management for everyone I see, I try to assess each person’s skills and habits in this key area. I’ll never forget the time I asked a client how often he changed his lancet. He had been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes about four years earlier and was checking regularly, so it seemed like a reasonable question. He proceeded to look at me with a puzzled expression and say, “You mean you’re supposed to change those things?”
0 comments - Posted Mar 7, 2011
January 2011
It doesn't matter if you're a computer geek or complete technophobe: If you've ever made the effort to download your blood glucose meter, you probably don't have a clue about what to do with the data once you've gotten it. That needs to change. Those of us who live with diabetes need to become more adept at analyzing our own data, to see what's working and what isn't both for our own sake and that of our time-strapped healthcare providers. .
0 comments - Posted Jan 25, 2011
December 2010
Research firm Frost & Sullivan, a leading international healthcare consulting company, released a market study analyzing and estimating the demand for Pepex Biomedical Inc.'s new biosensor technology for blood glucose monitoring for diabetes sufferers worldwide. The researchers interviewed diagnosed diabetics, diabetes educators, endocrinologists, and manufacturers of biosensors, blood glucose meters, or other clinical diagnostic or patient monitoring equipment suppliers for the study. The Frost & Sullivan report concluded that the Pepex Trio technology has the "potential as a new standard for measuring blood glucose levels."
0 comments - Posted Dec 21, 2010
October 2010
In July, I went to order a refill of my pump and was refused. My account was overdue, and my pump company wouldn't issue a refill until I could pay at least $400 of the $1200 I owed. I didn't have $400. I am a freelance writer and stay-at-home mom with a knack for stretching my husband's paycheck. I'd been making small monthly payments of about $50 because that was all we could afford, but now they wouldn't send me any more. So I went to the pharmacy and bought a box of syringes for $25. I didn't want to go back to multiple daily injections, but I didn't see that I had a choice.
0 comments - Posted Oct 9, 2010
Last week, sanofi-aventis announced the upcoming launch of the blood glucose meters BGStar® and iBGStarTM (developed by sanofi and its partner AgaMatrix), which should be available in early 2011.
0 comments - Posted Oct 4, 2010
September 2010
Sanofi-aventis announced the upcoming launch of the blood glucose monitoring (BGM) devices BGStar® and iBGStarTM, developed by sanofi-aventis and its partner AgaMatrix. Due to their convenience, accuracy and ease-of-use, BGStar® and iBGStarTM will help the decision-making process for people with diabetes and their healthcare professionals, with the aim of improving patient self-management. iBGStarTM connects to the iPhone® or iPod touch®. This is an important step towards sanofi-aventis' vision of becoming the leader in global diabetes care by integrating innovative monitoring technology, therapeutic innovations, personalized services and support solutions. BGStar® and iBGStarTM are planned to be made commercially available in the first markets in early 2011.
0 comments - Posted Sep 27, 2010
In my office, there is a box. Nothing fancy, just a plain brown box filled with a collection of "old school" diabetes stuff: "boil and re-use" syringes, urine test tape, screw-driven insulin pumps, medieval injection aids and lancing devices, and so on. Of course, no such collection would be complete without an array of classic blood glucose meters. The oldest one I have is a plug-in-the-wall model called a "Dextrometer" that featured test strip rinsing solution and a red LED display that could burn the retina of anyone within six feet.
0 comments - Posted Sep 9, 2010
August 2010
We can all come up with plenty of excuses not to test our blood sugar. For one, yeah, it stings a little (No pain, no gain, the angel on my shoulder whispers in my ear). For another, testing isn't convenient, no matter how quickly the meter works or how small it is. While seemingly everyone else is carelessly enjoying a meal or leaping into the swimming pool, you are on the sidelines trying to ignore your diabetes. And of course, sometimes, we just do not want to know what the number will be. It's easier to ignore the ugly truth than face it.
0 comments - Posted Aug 3, 2010
July 2010
A massive study involving 485 people with type 1 diabetes at 30 locations across North America shows that the combination of an insulin pump and a continuous glucose monitor helps patients achieve significantly lower A1c levels than multiple daily insulin injections.
0 comments - Posted Jul 13, 2010
May 2010
Rhode Island-based CVS/pharmacy, which operates more than 7,000 pharmacies and drug stores in the United States, has announced three diabetes-related initiatives:
0 comments - Posted May 15, 2010
April 2010
Bayer Diabetes Care today announced the introduction of the DIDGETTM blood glucose monitoring system in the United States. The DIDGET meter is unique because it is the only blood glucose meter that connects directly to Nintendo DSTM and DS Lite gaming systems to help kids manage a lifelong disease by rewarding them for building consistent testing habits and meeting personalized blood glucose target ranges. Bayer's DIDGET meter is now available for purchase in the U.S. through CVS.com, Drugstore.com and Walgreens.com.
0 comments - Posted Apr 26, 2010
March 2010
At a two-day meeting (March 16 and 17, 2010) to review blood glucose meters, Food and Drug Administration officials and staff pointed to a number of issues that can prevent people from getting proper treatment and sought input from medical experts and industry on ways to improve test results with the widely used devices.
0 comments - Posted Mar 18, 2010
February 2010
Bayer's A1CNow SELFCHECK, cleared by the Food and Drug Administration last year, is the first and only system of its kind with at-home results in five minutes. It enables patients to more closely watch their A1C level in between doctor visits so they may have a more informed discussion with their healthcare provider to ensure their diabetes plan is working.
0 comments - Posted Feb 18, 2010
November 2009
The Food and Drug Administration has given ARKRAY, Inc., a 510(k)* clearance to begin marketing its new GLUCOCARD® VitalTM blood glucose monitoring system in the United States.
0 comments - Posted Nov 17, 2009
August 2009
In our last issue, we published a letter from reader Sheila Payne, who wrote that we had been far too positive about continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) in our June/July article Get the Facts on Continuous Glucose Monitoring. But her opinion provoked a stack of letters from people who believe that the benefits of CGM substantially outweigh its negatives. To let you in on the debate, we are reprinting Ms. Payne's thought-provoking letter here, followed by two equally thoughtful responses from readers.
0 comments - Posted Aug 28, 2009
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued a warning against the use of GDH-PQQ blood glucose test strips by people with diabetes who are taking medications that contain non-glucose sugars. [Note: GDH-PQQ is the abbreviation of "glucose dehydrogenase pyrroloquinoline quinone," a chemical that reacts with the non-glucose sugars maltose, galactose, and xylose, which are contained in some therapeutic products.]
0 comments - Posted Aug 24, 2009
July 2009
People often ask me, "Why limit diabetes-related services to the iPhone when there are so many other cell phones out there?" I always answer them by asking, "How many applications have you downloaded onto your cell phone?"
0 comments - Posted Jul 13, 2009
June 2009
Here’s a handy meter to have if reading your meter is a challenge. The Prodigy Autocode meter speaks your test results in seconds, and it’ll do so in English or Spanish. The audible function also promotes team work by allowing you to hear your child’s or spouse’s test result from across the room and work together as a team to manage diabetes.
0 comments - Posted Jun 1, 2009
December 2008
For 2,000 years diabetes has been recognized as a devastating and deadly disease. In the first century A.D. a Greek, Aretaeus, described the destructive nature of the affliction which he named "diabetes" from the Greek word for "siphon." Eugene J. Leopold in his text Aretaeus the Cappodacian describes Aretaeus' diagnosis: "...For fluids do not remain in the body, but use the body only as a channel through which they may flow out. Life lasts only for a time, but not very long. For they urinate with pain and painful is the emaciation. For no essential part of the drink is absorbed by the body while great masses of the flesh are liquefied into urine."
0 comments - Posted Dec 17, 2008
The first time I presented medical research findings, I was not yet a physician. The year was about 1975. I was in my early forties and a mid-career engineer. The forum was a scientific symposium on diabetes. At the time, I felt that I had discovered the holy grail of diabetes care and was eager to share what I had learned.
0 comments - Posted Dec 8, 2008
My daughter Lauren was five days shy of her twelfth birthday when she was diagnosed with type 1. We were blessed with a child who could and did take the lead in her recovery and care. She never had any "teen diabetic rebellion" and never adopted a "why me?" mentality. Her health has been great, and her last A1c was 6.7%. With all the hormonal changes that can affect a teenage girl's body and thus change her insulin requirements, Lauren has always stayed on top of her care and never lost her fantastic personality.
0 comments - Posted Dec 2, 2008
September 2008
The OneTouch® UltraMini® Meter by LifeScan, Inc., is now available in Purple Twilight and Blue Comet.
0 comments - Posted Sep 18, 2008
Diabetes educator Cindy Young used case studies to illustrate the many little things that can have a big effect on your blood glucose-or just on the readings you get with your meter.
0 comments - Posted Sep 11, 2008
August 2008
The members of the AADE are an impassioned group who genuinely want to make a difference in their patients' lives. It was an ideal place for me to be, especially because I had a concern of my own: Why am I getting red dots every time I inject? Every educator I asked went right to work examining the problem and investigating my behavior, truly wanting to help. Unfortunately, they are dwindling in number each year, while patients are increasing in number, making their work ever more demanding.
0 comments - Posted Aug 20, 2008
Diabetes educator Mary M. Austin reported that many people are paying for blood glucose test strips even though their insurance plans would cover them. "There is a lot of misunderstanding," she said. For example, a client of Austin's got a free meter at a health fair. He then paid for strips on his own for six months, until he found out that his insurance plan would cover them if he got a prescription for the strips from his healthcare provider.
0 comments - Posted Aug 20, 2008
July 2008
I’ve always been a pretty good traveler. I simply checked the weather at my destination and packed accordingly. Easy. Then I learned that I had diabetes, and suddenly even weekend trips required an intense amount of additional preparation.
0 comments - Posted Jul 3, 2008
May 2008
Let me start with my maternal grandmother, Helen. Helen had diabetes and lived to the age of 73. We all assumed that she didn’t do a good job with it, as we would often find candy wrappers under her bed. When it came to taking care of herself, Helen was my mother’s role model.
0 comments - Posted May 15, 2008
April 2008
The FDA has cleared the OneTouch UltraLink wireless meter as the only meter certified by Medtronic to wirelessly communicate with its diabetes management products in the United States. The meter uses Medtronic-certified wireless technology to transmit glucose readings directly to MiniMed Paradigm insulin pumps and the Guardian® REAL-Time continuous glucose monitoring system. This makes bolus dosing more accurate and easier for patients compared to the manual entry of blood glucose readings.
0 comments - Posted Apr 28, 2008
March 2008
Fifteen-year-old Californian Laura Miller, a brittle diabetic, and her mother, Gillian, thought they had a strong case when they asked Blue Cross in late 2007 to pay for a continuous glucose monitor for her.
0 comments - Posted Mar 27, 2008
Blood sugar control is the heart and soul of diabetes management. How you handle it determines what will be the consequences of your diabetes.
0 comments - Posted Mar 13, 2008
January 2008
"It feels like you accidentally pricked yourself with a pin, only it's not accidental and you have to do it over and over again in the same areas."
0 comments - Posted Jan 18, 2008
December 2007
Bayer Diabetes Care has recalled 230,000 bottles of Contour TS test strips after finding that the strips resulted in blood glucose readings 5 to 17 percent higher than actual levels.
0 comments - Posted Dec 29, 2007
November 2007
Over the course of the year, we meticulously update all our charts to bring you the most accurate information about hundreds of products, services, and medications. Now we've gathered every one of those charts, from humble lancets to sophisticated continuous glucose monitors, into one handy place.
0 comments - Posted Nov 26, 2007
Los Angeles Times columnist and newly diagnosed type 1 David Lazarus is becoming quite an advocate for people with diabetes.
0 comments - Posted Nov 10, 2007
October 2007
This morning, a major meter manufacturer announced that its blood glucose meters will now operate on Microsoft's HealthVault. HealthVault is an online service that allows a patient to store and manage his health records without paying a fee.
0 comments - Posted Oct 31, 2007
Frost & Sullivan, whose mission is to research and analyze new market opportunities for corporate growth, has some happy news about the diabetes epidemic: It's creating a huge demand for glucose meters and strips in Asia.
0 comments - Posted Oct 30, 2007
Want a meter that matches your ensemble of the day? LifeScan has the very thing. Now you can get their OneTouch UltraMini blood glucose meter in pink, black, silver, or green.
0 comments - Posted Oct 5, 2007
According to Pulse, the UK's leading medical weekly, a review of the evidence has concluded that for type 2s on oral medication whose A1c's are below 7.5%, blood glucose monitoring offers "little advantage and may increase the likelihood of hypoglycemia."
0 comments - Posted Oct 2, 2007
September 2007
We recently wrote about a study which concluded that blood glucose meters are a waste of time for people with type 2 diabetes who are not using insulin ("Is Using a Meter a Waste of Time for Type 2s?"). Our readers vehemently disagreed with that conclusion.
0 comments - Posted Sep 6, 2007
August 2007
Everyone knows that for meter manufacturers, a meter is simply a means of selling a lifetime of strips. The Eocene blood glucose meter is no different in that respect, but it does have something extra to offer.
0 comments - Posted Aug 14, 2007
According to a University of Oxford study led by Dr. Andrew Farmer, home monitoring of glucose with a meter did not improve glucose control in non-insulin-requiring people with type 2 diabetes.
0 comments - Posted Aug 1, 2007
June 2007
Adolescents don't always check their blood glucose levels as often as they should. Because frequent monitoring is a keystone of diabetes care, this can make their parents frantic.
0 comments - Posted Jun 24, 2007
Soon you will be able to keep your DexCom sensor in place for a whole week instead of just three days. We know you've been doing that already, but now you'll have the full approval of the authorities.
0 comments - Posted Jun 23, 2007
May 2007
Two new meters that purport to measure your blood glucose without a fingerstick are currently in the works–again. The road to a non-invasive meter is one that many have traveled before, but no one, thus far, has ever reached the market.
0 comments - Posted May 30, 2007
Meters have come a long way since 1969, when the first meter went on the market. The meter measured the amount of light reflected off a Dextrostix, a paper strip that turned various shades of blue, depending on blood glucose level, after a large drop of blood was placed on it and then washed off.
0 comments - Posted May 24, 2007
Ever try to check one meter against another by testing with both at the same time and seeing if their results match up? Ever wonder why they might not?
0 comments - Posted May 7, 2007
April 2007
Milpitas, CA, March 30, 2007 – LifeScan, Inc., maker of OneTouch® Brand Blood Glucose Monitoring Systems, is offering customers that own one of several models of OneTouch Brand Systems a no-charge meter upgrade to one of the company's latest, most innovative meters.(1)
0 comments - Posted Apr 20, 2007
Here are some useful tips to help you choose a meter that’s right for you - and continue to use it successfully.
0 comments - Posted Apr 3, 2007
March 2007
Medtronic has received FDA approval for pediatric models of both of its REAL-Time continuous glucose monitors, the MiniMed Paradigm REAL-Time System and the Guardian REAL-Time System. Previously approved only for adults, both pediatric models will be appropriate for kids ages 7-17.
0 comments - Posted Mar 29, 2007
If Professor Brent Cameron has his way, people with diabetes will soon be able to measure their blood glucose by simply shining a light into their eye.
0 comments - Posted Mar 1, 2007
February 2007
Many people think of their blood glucose meter as a sort of sophisticated electronic toy. But the numbers it displays after you check your blood really are meaningful.
0 comments - Posted Feb 1, 2007
Distributed by Diagnostic Devices Inc. (DDI), of Charlotte, North Carolina, Prodigy is a talking glucose meter. According to DDI, the Prodigy line of glucose meters are all “affordable, accurate, and easy-to-use.”
0 comments - Posted Feb 1, 2007
Data presented at the November 2006 Diabetes Technology Meeting in Atlanta, Georgia, found that the Contour Blood Glucose Meter from Bayer accurately detects hypoglycemia.
0 comments - Posted Feb 1, 2007
Bayer Diabetes Care announced it has partnered with the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) to help support the IDF’s “Unite for Diabetes Campaign.”
0 comments - Posted Feb 1, 2007
On November 6, 2006, Bayer HealthCare issued a news release that addressed the issue of miscoded blood glucose meters.
0 comments - Posted Feb 1, 2007
Medtronic MiniMed’s Guardian RT is being called a “useful and important diagnostic tool for a phenomenon known as nighttime ‘late-onset hypoglycemia’.”
0 comments - Posted Feb 1, 2007
December 2006
LifeScan promotes its new OneTouch UltraMini meter for people with diabetes who don’t have health insurance coverage.
0 comments - Posted Dec 1, 2006
November 2006
This month in our Meters and Pumps & Infusion Sets sections we are doing something a little different. Diabetes Health is launching Diabetes Health TV from our homepage (www.diabeteshealth.com).
0 comments - Posted Nov 1, 2006
October 2006
A German company has developed the world’s first blood glucose meter that can wirelessly transmit your blood glucose test results. The GlucoTel is the first meter to support Bluetooth wireless technology.
0 comments - Posted Oct 1, 2006
September 2006
Real-Time Pump and CGMS Technology Given the Go-Ahead by the FDA
0 comments - Posted Sep 1, 2006
DexCom’s real-time continuous sensor—the DexCom STS—burst on the scene in March 2006.
0 comments - Posted Sep 1, 2006
August 2006
Medtronic MiniMed has linked an insulin pump with a continuous glucose monitor. Approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in April, the pump part of the combination is already available. The company expects the monitor component to be available by the end of August.
0 comments - Posted Aug 1, 2006
July 2006
What’s New LifeScan, Inc., a Johnson & Johnson company, has introduced its OneTouch Ultra2 Blood Glucose Monitoring System. LifeScan says the new meter is designed to help diabetics see the impact of their food and portion choices on their blood glucose levels.
0 comments - Posted Jul 1, 2006
Bayer Diabetes Care of Tarrytown, New York, announced that its Ascensia Breeze blood glucose–monitoring system received an ease-of-use commendation and a product seal from the Arthritis Foundation. According to Bayer Diabetes Care, Ascensia Breeze is the first blood glucose meter to be recognized by the Arthritis Foundation for a design that is user-friendly for the more than eight million Americans with arthritis who also have diabetes.
0 comments - Posted Jul 1, 2006
This may well go down in history as the Year of the Meter. Not since Tom Clemens patented the first blood glucose meter in 1971 have we seen such significant advances.
0 comments - Posted Jul 1, 2006
As David Mendosa points out in his feature article this month, ‘The Year of the Meter,’ 2006 is barely more than half over and we have already an abundance of new blood glucose meters. Well, it’s not only meters that are in abundance this year, but other diabetes drugs, devices and technologies as well. So much so, that there haven’t been enough pages in Diabetes Health to cover all of the new products.
0 comments - Posted Jul 1, 2006
June 2006
On January 31, 2006, GenExel-Sein, Inc., of Buffalo Grove, Illinois, announced it had received U.S. Food and Drug Administration 510(k) clearance for its Duo-Care device, which combines a home-use blood glucose monitor with a wrist blood pressure monitor—eliminating the need for two separate devices.
0 comments - Posted Jun 1, 2006
On March 13, 2006, Abbott Diabetes Care of Alameda, California, announced that it has received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to market its FreeStyle Freedom blood glucose-monitoring system for consumer use.
0 comments - Posted Jun 1, 2006
A noninvasive meter that measures glucose in perspiration instead of glucose in blood is being developed.
0 comments - Posted Jun 1, 2006
May 2006
The continuous glucose sensors of today that will in time lead to development of an artificial pancreas are getting a tremendous boost from the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International (JDRF). The boost is the organization’s commitment of up to $6.5 million dollars this year and next.
0 comments - Posted May 1, 2006
April 2006
Abbott Diabetes Care is already looking beyond continuous sensing. More than two years ago it asked the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to approve its FreeStyle Navigator Continuous Glucose Monitor; that application is still pending.
0 comments - Posted Apr 1, 2006
March 2006
If you can read Diabetes Health, you don’t need a SensoCard Plus meter. But there’s a good chance that a friend or someone in your family does.
0 comments - Posted Mar 1, 2006
February 2006
HemoCue knows accuracy. And precision. But Americans with diabetes don’t know HemoCue. Yet. That’s about to change.
0 comments - Posted Feb 1, 2006
January 2006
Researchers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta have just finished their first study of blood glucose meters. They found that meters could vary significantly.
0 comments - Posted Jan 1, 2006
December 2005
Not everyone with diabetes leads an active lifestyle and tests often. But my guess is that the readers of this magazine are on the go more than most people and monitor their blood glucose when they are away from home.
0 comments - Posted Dec 1, 2005
November 2005
We have so many blood glucose meters to choose from that it’s hard to know which one to use. I count 43 home meters for sale in the United States right now.
0 comments - Posted Nov 1, 2005
Dear Ann Landers,
With all due respect—you blew it!
0 comments - Posted Nov 1, 2005
October 2005
It takes lots of work to make an effective continuous blood glucose monitor. It also takes performance standards.
0 comments - Posted Oct 1, 2005
September 2005
Diabetes researchers at the American Diabetes Association’s 65th Annual Scientific Sessions in San Diego made thousands of presentations this year. Of the 2,851 available abstracts, 55 were about blood glucose testing. That’s a small percentage of the total. But after winnowing through them, I found lots of gold.
0 comments - Posted Sep 1, 2005
Do disappointing blood glucose results make you feel like a failure? Don’t let them. They aren’t report cards, and you can’t pass or fail. These numbers are not there to hurt you, but to help direct you.
0 comments - Posted Sep 1, 2005
August 2005
A dozen companies market blood glucose meters in the United States, but Accu-Chek, by Roche Diagnostics, is number one in sales both in the United States and worldwide. They were also one of the first brands of blood glucose meters. The original Accu-Check bG came out in 1982.
0 comments - Posted Aug 1, 2005
June 2005
If you want to know how well you are controlling your diabetes, you have had only two options. You can check your current blood glucose level with a meter, or you can check your average over the past two or three months with an A1C test. Now there’s a third and quite promising option—the GlycoMark test.
0 comments - Posted Jun 1, 2005
May 2005
It’s news whenever a new blood glucose meter becomes available. Two new blood glucose meters from a new company is even bigger news. The biggest news is that one of these new meters works with a device that automatically uploads your readings to family or healthcare professionals—all without using a computer.
0 comments - Posted May 1, 2005
Q: I change my lancet once a month. How often do you recommend changing lancets?
0 comments - Posted May 1, 2005
April 2005
When we think about Medtronic MiniMed, insulin pumps usually come to mind. That makes sense, because MiniMed was among the first to market an insulin pump and today dominates the U.S. market with more than a 70 percent share.
0 comments - Posted Apr 1, 2005
March 2005
What do you get when you cross a pelican with an albatross?
0 comments - Posted Mar 1, 2005
February 2005
Glucose monitoring systems that continuously plot the course of blood glucose promise much greater control over blood glucose levels. Detecting when you are going low is just one benefit, but it is the most immediate reward.
0 comments - Posted Feb 1, 2005
January 2005
It has long been our dream to have some sort of device that would test blood glucose without breaking the skin to take a drop of blood.
0 comments - Posted Jan 1, 2005
December 2004
Lancing devices are critical tools for obtaining blood samples for glucose measurement. While good diabetes management requires frequent blood testing, the pain and inconvenience involved in lancing can prevent a person with diabetes from undertaking the appropriate number of daily blood glucose tests.
0 comments - Posted Dec 1, 2004
The accuracy—or typically the lack thereof— of blood glucose meters is a big concern of mine. I have written several articles on this topic. But first of all, you have to know if your meter is precise.
0 comments - Posted Dec 1, 2004
Understanding the federal government is complex, and the Medicare program can be even worse.
0 comments - Posted Dec 1, 2004
October 2004
Q: I just noticed that my strips are code 10, but I forgot to change my meter, which is still set at code 2. My meter is a LifeScan OneTouch Ultra. I don’t know how many bottles of strips I have gone through at this wrong setting.
Have my readings been too low, or too high? And by how much have they been off?
0 comments - Posted Oct 1, 2004
September 2004
New Generation of Abbott Monitor Sports Extra Features
0 comments - Posted Sep 1, 2004
June 2004
Would you like to be able to share your blood glucose information with your doctor between scheduled visits?
0 comments - Posted Jun 1, 2004
A few years ago, the International Diabetes Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, compared meter systems. What I remember most about the comparison was the cost of blood glucose test strips—they were so close.
0 comments - Posted Jun 1, 2004
May 2004
If you provide them they will test…
0 comments - Posted May 1, 2004
LifeScan has introduced a new and improved test strip for its OneTouch Basic, Profile and II meters.
0 comments - Posted May 1, 2004
In a January 20, 2004 letter, LifeScan informed its OneTouch Ultra Test Strip customers it was voluntarily removing a single lot of 50-Count OneTouch Ultra Test Strips.
0 comments - Posted May 1, 2004
April 2004
Since October 2003, meter maker LifeScan has been partnering with pump manufacturer Animas Corporation.
0 comments - Posted Apr 1, 2004
One of the largest physician organizations in the country has developed a new guide for self-testing of blood glucose levels.
0 comments - Posted Apr 1, 2004
March 2004
On January 13, 2004, Abbott Laboratories bought TheraSense, Inc. for $1.2 billion.
0 comments - Posted Mar 1, 2004
For the purpose of detecting low blood glucose, researchers say you should test at the fingertip.
0 comments - Posted Mar 1, 2004
January 2004
I never gave much thought to the issue of how to care for my meter until my three-year-old daughter decided to dunk my Ascensia Elite XL in a glass of water.
0 comments - Posted Jan 1, 2004
People with diabetes know that we are all supposed to check our blood glucose. But it’s sometimes frustrating to look at the results and see a number that’s too high or too low.
0 comments - Posted Jan 1, 2004
May 2003
It's the instrument we all love to hate: the lancing device.
0 comments - Posted May 1, 2003
Roche, best known for its Accu-Chek family of blood-glucose monitors, made an offer in February 2003 to buy Disetronic's insulin pump division. A decision on the purchase should be finalized in May or June if Disetronic's shareholders accept Roche's tender offer of two nonvoting Roche equity securities and a price of 670 Swiss francs (about $490 U.S. dollars) per share.
0 comments - Posted May 1, 2003
April 2003
As a diabetes researcher, exercise physiologist and individual with type 1 diabetes, I am always curious about how the latest diabetes technology fits into an exercise program. Exercise is, after all, one of the three cornerstones of diabetes management, along with diet and medication.
0 comments - Posted Apr 1, 2003
Becton, Dickinson and Company, of Franklin Lakes, New Jersey, best known for its insulin syringes, has entered the blood-glucose meter market with two products: the BD Logic blood-glucose monitor and the BD Latitude Diabetes Management System.
0 comments - Posted Apr 1, 2003
Do you find yourself squeezing out a huge drop of blood-even for meters that require only a pinpoint of fluid-just to make sure you fill the strip.
0 comments - Posted Apr 1, 2003
February 2003
Insulin-to-carbohydrate (I:C) ratios, which are used to calculate the insulin doses people with diabetes need for specific amounts of food containing carbohydrate, are an important part of any intensive diabetes management program.
0 comments - Posted Feb 1, 2003
Reasons for choosing a particular blood-glucose meter are as varied as the users. Some users want it simple, some want all the bells and whistles and many want something in between—as long as the meter and strips are affordable and accurate. Not to mention fast!
0 comments - Posted Feb 1, 2003
Software designed to help children who are newly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes learn how to manage their condition is available from dbaza, Inc., of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, for use by both individuals and professionals.
0 comments - Posted Feb 1, 2003
January 2003
If you test your blood glucose regularly, you probably think you have a pretty good idea of how high or low your numbers rise and fall during a typical day and night. However, what if you had 288 blood-glucose readings every 24 hours, instead of only a handful?
0 comments - Posted Jan 1, 2003
December 2002
Knitters know that, for a perfect match, you need to buy all the yarn for a project from the same dye lot to eliminate subtle changes in color that can make your solid red sweater come out looking like it has stripes. The reason? Minute changes in dyes that cause just the slightest difference in hue.
0 comments - Posted Dec 1, 2002
Knitters know that, for a perfect match, you need to buy all the yarn for a project from the same dye lot to eliminate subtle changes in color that can make your solid red sweater come out looking like it has stripes. The reason? Minute changes in dyes that cause just the slightest difference in hue.
0 comments - Posted Dec 1, 2002
When I worked as a consultant for one of the "Big 5" consulting firms a few years ago, I was always traveling around the country to different destinations. At each destination, I was confronted with decisions that affected my diabetes management-or lack thereof.
0 comments - Posted Dec 1, 2002
November 2002
Parents who wanted to see GlucoWatch Biographers on the wrists of their children with diabetes received good news on August 28, 2002, with the announcement that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration had approved the GlucoWatch for use with children ages 7 to 17. The device received earlier FDA approval for adults with diabetes in April 2002.
0 comments - Posted Nov 1, 2002
LXN Corporation, which made the InCharge blood-glucose meter, GlucoProtein test strips (which measure fructosamine levels) and InCharge Glucose test strips, has recalled all GlucoProtein test strips, discontinued all its products and ceased operations.
0 comments - Posted Nov 1, 2002
Testing. Testing when you get up… before meals… after meals… before and after (and sometimes during) exercise. Testing when you feel "funny."
0 comments - Posted Nov 1, 2002
October 2002
Researchers in Canada studying barriers to self-monitoring of blood glucose discovered that—surprise!—people who were given free strips tested more often than those who had to pay for them. An added benefit of more frequent testing was better blood-glucose control.
0 comments - Posted Oct 1, 2002
A former Wal-Mart pharmacist with diabetes who closed the store's pharmacy in Chadron, Nebraska, while he ate lunch is not covered under the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA), the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals confirmed in a July 2002 ruling.
0 comments - Posted Oct 1, 2002
September 2002
Researchers in Chicago, Illinois, using the Medtronic MiniMed Continuous Glucose Monitoring System (CGMS) conclude that the variable glucose profiles generated during endurance competitions such as marathons "indicate the need for intensive and accurate glucose monitoring."
0 comments - Posted Sep 1, 2002
Imagine being able to pop a blood-glucose testing device into your personal digital assistant (PDA), put blood on the strip and store the results in the PDA. Now you can do just that, thanks to U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval of two such devices in mid-June 2002.
0 comments - Posted Sep 1, 2002
August 2002
Starting next month, Bayer will change the name of its line of Glucometer blood-glucose meters to Ascensia.
0 comments - Posted Aug 1, 2002
Bayer Diagnostics announced on May 28, 2002, that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the use of its complete line of blood glucose meters for alternate-site testing.
0 comments - Posted Aug 1, 2002
July 2002
It happens. After three and a half years and more than 10,000 tests, my meter screen displayed a glitch. So I called the company, explained to the rep what had happened and was told I would be sent a new meter.
0 comments - Posted Jul 1, 2002
"When I think of how long I have waited for the GlucoWatch Biographer, I could just cry!"
0 comments - Posted Jul 1, 2002
Twenty-four-hour continuous glucose monitoring can provide extremely useful information about an individual's blood-glucose pattern and fluctuations during the day and night.
0 comments - Posted Jul 1, 2002
May 2002
Whether or not people with diabetes can test in public places is a nonissue. Every person with diabetes is entitled to his or her respective life, liberty and pursuit of good blood-glucose control—despite the occasional stare of a passerby.
0 comments - Posted May 1, 2002
Measuring blood-glucose levels with a sample drawn from the forearm using the Sof-Tact meter made by Abbott/MediSense will yield the same results as fingerstick testing, say researchers in Massachusetts. The researchers also found that the hematocrit (Hct)—the percentage of whole blood that is composed of red blood cells—was significantly higher in the forearm blood samples than in fingertip blood samples, according to the study published in the February 2002 issue of Diabetes Care.
0 comments - Posted May 1, 2002
April 2002
A noninvasive blood-glucose monitor has long been awaited. People with diabetes do not look forward to monitoring their blood glucose every day, as it involves pricking their fingers to obtain blood samples.
0 comments - Posted Apr 1, 2002
You keep your A1Cs in line by testing your fasting and before-meal blood-glucose levels, but could you have a time bomb ticking in your body by failing to keep after-meal glucose levels down?
0 comments - Posted Apr 1, 2002
March 2002
Do you find yourself squeezing out a huge drop of blood—even for meters that require only a pinpoint of fluid—just to make sure you fill the strip?
0 comments - Posted Mar 1, 2002
The Accu-Chek Advantage blood-glucose meter could sometimes save a test result incorrectly in its memory feature, Roche Diagnostics has announced. The incorrect storage of a reading in the meter's memory could occur once every seven days.
0 comments - Posted Mar 1, 2002
LifeScan's One Touch Profile meters may develop display problems, the company said in a January 8 letter to its customers.
0 comments - Posted Mar 1, 2002
Sometimes I sit and dream of the things I could buy and the places I could visit—if only I didn't have all the expenses that go with having diabetes. Topping the list of those expenses are blood-glucose testing strips. In less than one minute after you take one out of the container, you throw about 70 cents—more or less—into the trash.
0 comments - Posted Mar 1, 2002
February 2002
First Human Trials With a Novel Noninvasive, Nonoptical Continuous Glucose Monitoring System
0 comments - Posted Feb 1, 2002
Whether type 1 or type 2, young or old, all people with diabetes have one thing in common: their blood-glucose meter.
0 comments - Posted Feb 1, 2002
Blood-glucose meter maker LifeScan agreed on November 26, 2001, to pay $45 million to hundreds of thousands of people with diabetes—avoiding a trial that was set to begin that week.
0 comments - Posted Feb 1, 2002
January 2002
What was a groundbreaking blood-glucose meter only a few years ago has now been put out to pasture.
0 comments - Posted Jan 1, 2002
December 2001
With winter weather approaching, many of us take precautions to handle worsening driving conditions: we install snow tires, pack our trunks with sandbags and ease up on the accelerator when the roads turn slippery.
0 comments - Posted Dec 1, 2001
Pharmaceutical giant Roche Diagnostics has now added an alternate-site-testing meter to its arsenal of products after acquiring the company that pioneered the technology itself.
0 comments - Posted Dec 1, 2001
November 2001
For decades, people with diabetes have known the drill: prick your finger, get a good-sized drop of blood, apply the drop of blood to a meter, wait for the result and adjust your insulin, eating or exercise regimen accordingly.
0 comments - Posted Nov 1, 2001
October 2001
How do I know my three-year-old meter is still providing me with accurate test results?
0 comments - Posted Oct 1, 2001
September 2001
MiniMed's Continuous Glucose Monitoring Device was used to measure the prevalence of nighttime hypoglycemia (BGs below 40 mg/dl) and associate the occurrence of nighttime hypos and interstitial glucose levels every five minutes in a study of 47 children with diabetes.
0 comments - Posted Sep 1, 2001
"I think the InDuo is the cat's meow," says Jane Seley, RN, NP, CDE, a doctoral candidate at New York University. "It's fast, easy and accurate."
0 comments - Posted Sep 1, 2001
July 2001
"The thrill of victory—the agony of defeat" can play havoc with your blood-glucose levels—even if you're merely cheering for your favorite team.
0 comments - Posted Jul 1, 2001
June 2001
Many new technologies have recently become available to help manage type 1 diabetes. Among these, insulin pumps and continuous glucose monitors are proving to have great benefit, even in young children.
0 comments - Posted Jun 1, 2001
On April 11, Abbot Laboratories MediSense Products announced that its alternate-site BG-monitoring Sof-Tact is now available.
0 comments - Posted Jun 1, 2001
According to Instrumentation Metrics, a manufacturer of medical devices, results of a recent trial demonstrated that a new non-invasive testing technology using light successfully measured BG levels.
0 comments - Posted Jun 1, 2001
Carla Elliot liked to keep busy. A bright and outgoing 14-year-old girl, Carla involved herself in as many activities as she could. Whether it was swimming, cheerleading, softball, 4-H club meetings or simply running around the neighborhood, Carla was there.
0 comments - Posted Jun 1, 2001
For many parents, the most troubling aspect of diabetes is the possibility of low blood sugars during the night. We have recently tested two new products that are providing solutions to this problem.
0 comments - Posted Jun 1, 2001
May 2001
Cygnus, Inc. of Redwood City, California, has finally completed its long journey to receiving FDA approval for its GlucoWatch Biographer. People with diabetes, however, should expect to wait until the end of 2001, or later, before being able to purchase one.
0 comments - Posted May 1, 2001
I am a type 1 insulin-pump user and I intend to try the GlucoWatch as soon as it's available.
0 comments - Posted May 1, 2001
On February 8, the Children with Diabetes Foundation (CWDF) announced it will be funding a study to test the efficacy of the GlucoWatch Biographer on children with diabetes.
0 comments - Posted May 1, 2001
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently approved the One Touch Ultra blood-glucose monitoring system. Manufactured by LifeScan of Milpitas, California, the One Touch Ultra offers a number of features to support better diabetes management.
0 comments - Posted May 1, 2001
On November 28, 2000, Bio-Rad Labratories announced that its new instrument for measuring HbA1c levels, called Micromat II, was chosen for use in the Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes (ACCORD) trial. The ACCORD trial is aimed at reducing cardiovascular disease in people with type 2 diabetes. The test will be used to measure the patients HbA1c levels at 60 different test sites throughout the U.S. and Canada.
0 comments - Posted May 1, 2001
March 2001
On December 15, 2000, after a three-year government investigation, LifeScan, Inc., a Johnson & Johnson company, entered a plea of guilty to three misdemeanor charges relating to a federal government investigation of its SureStep Blood Glucose Meter. LifeScan will pay a fine of $29.4 million and an additional $30.6 million in civil settlement to the government.
0 comments - Posted Mar 1, 2001
February 2001
The blood glucose (BG) meter is the "single most important thing" in the life of a person-type 1 and 2-with diabetes, says Jane Seley, RN, CDE, MPH, MSN, GNP, a doctoral candidate at New York University.
0 comments - Posted Feb 1, 2001
Diabetes Health asked some of its readers which blood glucose meter they used. According to a response from 61 people, we discovered the following:-
0 comments - Posted Feb 1, 2001
Home Diagnostics, Inc (HDI) of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, announced on December 13, 2000 that in less than one year, several top retailers have started co-branding with its Prestige Smart System (PSS) blood glucose monitor. The result, according to a HDI press release, has allowed customers to save on diabetes testing supplies.
0 comments - Posted Feb 1, 2001
TheraSense, Inc. of Alameda, California, received word on December 13, 2000 that its FreeStyle blood glucose monitor has received FDA clearance for testing on the upper arm, thigh, calf and anywhere on the hand. The FDA had recently cleared the FreeStyle for testing on the forearm.
0 comments - Posted Feb 1, 2001
Bico Inc. agreed to pay $3.45 million to settle a class-action lawsuit alleging it duped investors into believing the Diasensor - its experimental non-invasive BG meter - was ready for market.
0 comments - Posted Feb 1, 2001
January 2001
On November 20, 2000, Abbott Laboratories of Bedford, Massachusetts announced it had received U.S. Food and Drug Administration marketing clearance for its Sof-Tact. This diabetes management system, according to Abbott, is the first automated glucose monitor to offer lancing, blood collection and glucose testing with a single press of a button.
0 comments - Posted Jan 1, 2001
December 2000
On September 18, the Disetronic Group announced it had reached an agreement with TheraSense of Alameda, California, to market and distribute the innovative FreeStyle blood glucose monitor.
0 comments - Posted Dec 1, 2000
October 2000
Whether you realize it or not, most blood sugar meters store information about the tests you perform and also let you recall the date and time that you checked your blood sugars. Some meters keep track of the "control" and "checkstrip" quality control tests done to ensure the accuracy of your meter. More advanced meters even store additional data such as events like low blood sugar symptoms, insulin doses, activity levels, the amount of food consumed or even your HbA1c levels.
0 comments - Posted Oct 1, 2000
August 2000
If you ever think, "I never go anywhere without my meter; it's like my wallet," think again. How many of us have forgotten our wallets? If it is prudent to own spare car keys, why not own a spare meter? Why not own two meters, one for the home and a spare meter for your workplace? If you exercise at the gym regularly, keeping a third spare meter in your locker is also advisable.
0 comments - Posted Aug 1, 2000
July 2000
10,000 Babies Per Year to be Screened for Diabetes Risk Genes in Sweden
0 comments - Posted Jul 1, 2000
April 2000
A small Italian trial tested the accuracy of two popular blood glucose monitors at an altitude of nearly 10,000 ft. The Glucometer Elite II and the LifeScan One Touch II were tested on six type 1s who all had good glycemic control and no diabetes-related complications. The readings from the meters were compared to the results from venous blood samples. The findings were reported in the January issue of Diabetes Care.
0 comments - Posted Apr 1, 2000
February 2000
A pilot study involving 9 patients using MiniMed's continuous glucose monitoring system shows a 1 percentage point drop in HbA1c values after 5 weeks.
0 comments - Posted Feb 1, 2000
January 2000
Medisense, Inc. has begun sales of its Precision Xtra meter, which measures blood ketone content as well as monitoring glucose levels.
0 comments - Posted Jan 8, 2000
An advisory panel of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) unanimously recommended approval of the GlucoWatch monitor on December 6, 1999. The advisory panel, which approved the GlucoWatch monitor with conditions, said that the monitor could offer a tremendous benefit by measuring glucose far more often than blood tests can.
0 comments - Posted Jan 1, 2000
Kumetrix Inc., a privately held medical device company located in Union City, California, recently announced that it will receive $194,000 in state funds to further develop its painless blood glucose (BG) monitoring device.
0 comments - Posted Jan 1, 2000
December 1999
Though it does not test blood, the accuracy of the GlucoWatch monitor compares well with existing blood glucose meters, researchers have concluded.
0 comments - Posted Dec 1, 1999
Can-Am Care Corporation has announced the availability of the new Excel GE blood glucose test strips, for use with Glucometer Elite blood glucose meters.
0 comments - Posted Dec 1, 1999
November 1999
Biocontrol, one of many hopeful developers of a noninvasive glucose monitoring device, will link with the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston. Joslin researchers will conduct clinicals trials for approval of Biocontrol's Diasensor 2000, a device that measures glucose levels with spectroscopy (technology using infrared light).
0 comments - Posted Nov 1, 1999
September 1999
In 1978, at age 21, I ran away to Hawaii to work on a cruise ship. In those days, I never told anyone that I had diabetes.
0 comments - Posted Sep 1, 1999
Choosing a glucose meter is like choosing a home. You have your dream home in your head, but it does not exist in the real world, just like a noninvasive meter. Then, even among the existing homes, what you really want, (for most of us) you cannot afford. Similarly, the meter that has all the features you are looking for may not be covered by your health insurance. Yet, just when you've given up hope, it all comes together and you find the one you want. After some work, your home, and your meter, become sources of protection and comfort. Most importantly, your meter becomes your lifeline.
0 comments - Posted Sep 1, 1999
LifeScan, manufacturer of blood glucose self-monitoring products, has updated its One Touch Basic meter.
0 comments - Posted Sep 1, 1999
July 1999
Imagine if a free glucose meter showed up at your door. You'd be thrilled, right? Well, it happened to David Fogarty, but he wasn't thrilled. This Berkeley, California, father was fuming mad. Fogarty's HMO, Health Net, sent a free Precision Q.I.D. meter to his 11-year-old son, Lucas, and to all its other members with diabetes. The catch was, Health Net would soon stop covering strips for Lucas's One Touch Profile.
0 comments - Posted Jul 1, 1999
May 1999
MiniMed's continuous glucose monitor appears to have passed through the first phase of FDA approval. An advisory panel, which makes initial recommendations to the entire agency, voted unanimously to recommend approval to the entire FDA.
0 comments - Posted May 1, 1999
March 1999
It's an incredibly tense race, and in its wake are literal and figurative trails of blood.
0 comments - Posted Mar 1, 1999
This installment in the meters, strips and glucose testing series discusses temperature and humidity and their effects on meter and strip functioning. For comments, contact Sharon Kellaher at (800) 234-1218.
0 comments - Posted Mar 1, 1999
February 1999
The first continuous glucose monitor could be on its way to doctors' offices. MiniMed will ask the FDA this month to approve its application for the continuous glucose monitoring system.
0 comments - Posted Feb 1, 1999
January 1999
People with diabetes have long been frustrated by variations in glucose meter readings. Now the meter industry has added a new wrinkle, meters that reference plasma rather than whole blood.
0 comments - Posted Jan 1, 1999
People who have trouble getting adequate samples may fumble less with a new product, the SampleMate, from Chronimed. Made from elastic, the SampleMate tightens up the top of the finger to keep a good amount of blood there until a drop is drawn.
0 comments - Posted Jan 1, 1999
December 1998
Visually impaired people with diabetes now have a glucose monitor, called the Accu-Chek Voicemate, that talks them through their tests. Manufactured by Eli Lilly and Company and Roche Diagnostics, the Voicemate's voice tells people their blood sugar levels and which type of insulin they are using.
0 comments - Posted Dec 1, 1998
Cygnus Inc. has an idea for a painless glucose meter which will resemble a wrist watch. Calling it the GlucoWatch (R) monitor, Cygnus is searching for a business partner to market the product here in North America. Although the product is not finalized, GlucoWatch is expected to have a skin pad, known as the AutoSensor, which measures glucose concentration with an electric current. Cygnus cannot yet specify an availability date.
0 comments - Posted Dec 1, 1998
Enlisting your personal computer in your diabetes care plan can give you a comprehensive, objective picture of your glycemic control. MediSense offers its glucose data management system, Precision Link, for use with its Precision Q.I.D., Precision Q.I.D. Pen, MediSense 2 and MediSense 2 Pen glucose monitors.
0 comments - Posted Dec 1, 1998
October 1998
Many people are dissatisfied with a new interim Medicare policy. The policy was considered to be a breakthrough for Medicare patients because for the first time it will cover patients who are not being treated with insulin injections. Prior to July 1, 1998, these patients were not covered by Medicare for their diabetes testing supplies.
0 comments - Posted Oct 1, 1998
September 1998
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration claims that the Johnson & Johnson company is failing to adequately warn the public about the dangers of using certain defective SureStep blood glucose meters. As reported in DIABETES HEALTH (see "290,000 SureStep Meters Recalled," July 1998, p. 10), J&J recently began recalling its SureStep meters sold before August 1997. The monitors failed to measure blood sugar levels in excess of 500 mg/dl. At such levels, the meters display an "ER 1" error message instead of the glucose concentrations.
0 comments - Posted Sep 1, 1998
August 1998
Amira Medical, formerly Mercury Diagnostics, is close to releasing its At Last Blood Glucose Monitoring System, which promises to offer a pain-free method for sampling and monitoring blood glucose.
0 comments - Posted Aug 1, 1998
July 1998
Johnson & Johnson's LifeScan is voluntarily recalling and replacing its SureStep glucose meters sold before August 1997. The monitors failed to measure high blood sugar levels in excess of 500 mg/dl. At such levels the meters display an, "ER 1" error message instead of the glucose concentration. The problem, which is software related and not in the machine itself, does not exist in units sold after August 1997.
0 comments - Posted Jul 1, 1998
May 1998
Technical Chemicals and Products Inc. in Pompano Beach, Fla., unveiled its new noninvasive TD Glucose Monitoring System at a meeting sponsored by NASA, the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation and the National Institute on Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.
0 comments - Posted May 1, 1998
April 1998
Could there be more than beauty in the eye of the beholder? How about an accurate blood glucose reading? That's what Visionary Medical Products Corporation (VMPC) in Carson City, Nevada, is hoping for - a noninvasive test that will determine BG levels through minute blood vessel changes in the retina.
0 comments - Posted Apr 1, 1998
Several companies are actively working on technologies to improve blood sugar testing and thereby capture a share of the two- to three-billion dollar blood sugar testing market. The goal is to make testing easier, more convenient and, the hope of many, continuous without sticking the finger. Here are some of the companies trying to become the first to offer improved testing and how they plan to do it:
0 comments - Posted Apr 1, 1998
February 1998
MiniMed Inc. is petitioning the FDA for clearance to produce and market its continuous subcutaneous glucose sensor. The company hopes for approval in 1998. MiniMed expects to utilize the sensor for a series of products - the first two being a physician diagnostic device and alarm product to warn people with diabetes of dangerously low glucose levels.
0 comments - Posted Feb 1, 1998
In November, President Clinton signed the "Food and Drug Modernization Act of 1997," a new law intended to streamline the regulatory process and improve the regulation of medical devices. One section of the law specifically advocates Congress to encourage the development of safe and effective noninvasive blood glucose meters.
0 comments - Posted Feb 1, 1998
January 1998
Glucose monitors have come a long way since the hulking, brick-sized meters of the seventies. Now, new technology has created smaller and lighter monitors the size of pagers. However, people with diabetes everywhere are still feeling the pain of testing. When will painful finger pokes no longer be necessary?
0 comments - Posted Jan 1, 1998
Once the DCCT results were published showing the benefits of tight control, the importance of self-monitoring to a successful diabetes control regimen was solidified. The BG diagnostics market has boomed as a result. United States revenues for 1997 are expected to top out at $877.2 million, and by the year 2004, they are expected to reach $2.25 billion.
0 comments - Posted Jan 1, 1998
December 1997
It's called the Diasensor 1000. The company that built it, Indiana, Pa.-based Biocontrol Technology Inc., claims it's the answer to diabetics' prayers.
0 comments - Posted Dec 1, 1997
The SmartStrip, a new meter-less strip has hit Canada. The strip manufactured by LifeScan, is about the size of a Band-aid and costs $5.00 (Canada) for a pack of five.
0 comments - Posted Dec 1, 1997
November 1997
Looking for a bloodless, painless way to test for glucose levels, researchers have turned to the skin. Between the layers of skin is a fluid called dermal interstitial fluid (ISF) that, according to a report in September's Diabetes Care, contains enough glucose to be an accurate measure of BGs.
0 comments - Posted Nov 1, 1997
Boehringer Mannheim is currently developing a blood glucose monitoring system that it hopes will measure BGs continuously and as painlessly as possible. Boehringer would like to see its minimally-invasive product, the Komo System, on the market by the year 2000.
0 comments - Posted Nov 1, 1997
March 1997
The supreme importance of daily blood glucose (BG) monitoring for proper blood sugar control is well documented. It is quite possibly the single most important step that individuals with diabetes can take to reduce their chances of developing complications.
0 comments - Posted Mar 1, 1997
February 1997
Is your blood glucose meter giving you accurate readings? Testing under certain circumstances may be giving you misleading results. While most users expect accurate readings from their meters at all times, recent studies have found that many meters on the market today are inaccurate during hypoglycemia and when used at high altitude.
0 comments - Posted Feb 1, 1997
November 1996
Almost immediately after complaining to a congressional subcommittee that it was unfairly treated by the FDA during its first 510(k) submission, Biocontrol Technology, Inc. announced that it submitted a new revised 510(k) pre-market notification for its Diasensor 1000 non-invasive glucose sensor.
0 comments - Posted Nov 1, 1996
Medisense announced the release of their newest home blood glucose monitor-the ExacTech RSG-at the American Association of Diabetes Educators' annual meeting in August.
0 comments - Posted Nov 1, 1996
June 1996
LifeScan will soon release a new, easier to use, blood glucose monitoring meter.
0 comments - Posted Jun 1, 1996
May 1996
Selling stock has been a lifeline for Biocontrol Technology, Inc. With no revenues to speak of, it's been the only way the Indiana, Pennsylvania-based company has been able to raise the millions it's spent over the last decade developing its experimental blood monitoring machine for diabetics.
0 comments - Posted May 1, 1996
The Precision QID passed a recent test, proving itself accurate enough to be used by pregnant women.
0 comments - Posted May 1, 1996
April 1996
The new Accu-Chek Instant is now the fastest blood glucose monitor available. The 12-second test is quicker than other meters whose tests take anywhere from 20 to 45 or more seconds to produce a result.
0 comments - Posted Apr 1, 1996
Biocontrol Technology, Inc. has been receiving a great deal of attention regarding its Diasensor 1000 non-invasive blood glucose meter. Stockholders have been calling the (DIABETES HEALTH) office asking if we know what is going on with Biocontrol-when will the device be ready to market?
0 comments - Posted Apr 1, 1996
March 1996
January 1996
Biocontrol Technology, Inc., of Pittsburgh, Pa., has recently received negative media coverage that forced the company to respond in a point-by-point press release distributed in December 1995.
0 comments - Posted Jan 1, 1996
Tricia Fine, manager of customer communications at LifeScan, was kind enough to answer the following letters about meters from our readers.
0 comments - Posted Jan 1, 1996
Vision care for people with diabetes is critical because disturbances of normal sight are common. Until recently it was thought that vision changes were the result of damaging changes in the structure of the eye.
0 comments - Posted Jan 1, 1996
September 1995
Why would patients veto a device that can monitor glucose levels without the need for blood? Because they had to put the device in their ear. Though technically non-invasive, focus groups found the process unappealing.
0 comments - Posted Sep 1, 1995
August 1995
According to LifeScan, the new One Touch Profile meter "is the most advanced system on the market, offering a complete diabetes tracking system."
0 comments - Posted Aug 1, 1995
We all know that one of the best things we can do for ourselves is monitor our blood glucose levels. Of course, the meter we select to help us is vital. In fact, comparing meters is like comparing new cars-it's nice to know what other people are buying.
0 comments - Posted Aug 1, 1995
April 1995
It seems almost every blood glucose meter company offers discounts if you trade in your old meter, but have you ever wondered what happens to all those meters they get sent?
0 comments - Posted Apr 1, 1995
January 1995
LifeScan scored a pre-trial victory in its patent infringement suit against Polymer Technology, makers of generic test strips for use in LifeScan's One Touch Blood Glucose Monitoring System.
0 comments - Posted Jan 1, 1995
In the ever-changing, unstable business of non-invasive glucose meters only one thing seems certain: nothing is certain.
0 comments - Posted Jan 1, 1995
December 1994
Imagine having a watch that would give you a constant reading of your blood glucose levels without having to prick your finger.
0 comments - Posted Dec 1, 1994
July 1994
Q: I'd like to buy a new meter to test my blood sugar and don't know which one is best. How do I decide which meter to buy?
0 comments - Posted Jul 1, 1994
June 1994
Metabolic Control Matters. These words by Dr Richard Eastman, director of the the diabetes program of the National Institutes of Health were meant to introduce the results of the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial 1, a 10 year study in almost 1500 patients that demonstrated a tight correlation of excellent control of blood glucose and a dramatic reduction in the risk of the complications of diabetes. This study leaves little room for doubt: if you want to prevent the devastating complications of diabetes you need to bring your blood glucose as close to normal as possible.
0 comments - Posted Jun 1, 1994
May 1994
New developments in technology and manufacturing techniques have brought a new level of sophistication among lancets. The consumer now has more questions than ever about choosing the right lancet. In light of this, DIABETES HEALTH has compiled a comprehensive look at the lancets currently on the market, and their differences.
0 comments - Posted May 1, 1994
January 1994
As clearly demonstrated by the DCCT, blood glucose monitoring is a critical element in the maintenance of normal blood glucose levels. Cygnus Therapeutic Corporation in Redwood City, California is working on a new non-invasive glucose monitoring system that could dramatically change the way people with diabetes monitor their glucose levels. Unlike the current procedure, which measures the level of glucose in the blood based on blood samples drawn from the fingertips, the new system is non-invasive, and utilizes interstitial fluid rather than blood.
0 comments - Posted Jan 1, 1994
August 1993
In a 28-week behavioral weight control program, 22 obese patients with non-insulin dependent diabetes (NIDDM) were recruited to determine the effects of self blood glucose monitoring (SBGM) in diabetes management. For the first eight weeks, all the participants met in weekly support groups. After eight weeks, the original group was divided in two, with the first half continuing the support groups, and the second adding SBGM and dietary carbohydrate counting. While the results in weight loss were identical for both groups, the study revealed that people in the support group experienced a substantial decline in HbA1c levels, followed by a rapid "rebound," while in the second group, HbA1c levels consistently declined. The results of the study suggest that SBGM and carbohydrate counting should be recognized as important tools in the management of non-insulin dependent as well as insulin-dependent diabetes.
0 comments - Posted Aug 1, 1993
April 1993
Near-infrared, as you have no doubt heard, is supposedly a technology that allows the taking of a blood glucose reading without the need for a blood sample. The theory is simple: when you shine light on your hand, it passes through it and comes out on the other side (take a flashlight and put it up to your hand: if you look at it from the other side you'll see your hand glowing red). By analyzing the changes in the wavelengths of light after it has passed through an object, it is possible to determine the chemical makeup of that object. Every substance has a spectrum of light that it will absorb and emit; so in theory you can tell just how much glucose is in the blood by analyzing the intensity of the spectrum it emits.
0 comments - Posted Apr 1, 1993
I'm sure you've heard about the non-invasive blood glucose sensors that everyone in the diabetic meter business is talking about; it is, after all, big news. The ability to take accurate glucose readings without the traditional finger-stick would be a blessing to people with diabetes. The estimated $500 million prize going to the inventor of such a device would be a blessing to whichever company produces the first one. The obstacles involved, however, insure that whoever wins it will have to work long and hard.
0 comments - Posted Apr 1, 1993
November 1992
Dr. Alan Marcus is a diabetes specialist who practices in Laguna Hills, California. He is also a medical advisor to MiniMed Technologies and a spokesperson for Novo Nordisk Insulin. Dr. Marcus also serves as Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine for the USC School of Medicine.
0 comments - Posted Nov 1, 1992