I found this interesting, the coming G7 compatible with a larger number of devices, along with the reduced sensor size:
Last year, Dexcom gained an FDA green light to pair its diabetes data with third-party fitness trackers, including consumer devices and apps made by Garmin, Livongo and more. This will allow blood sugar data taken from Dexcom’s real-time sensors to be displayed on smartwatches for runners, for example, as well as cycling computers that strap to a bike’s handlebars.
Sources
More G7 update info from a Stacey Simms interview of Dexcom CEO Kevin Sayer. This podcast was published on January 11, 2022.
I read from the podcast the test size was 300 participants. Would’ve thought they’d have gone broader.
I’ve learned from this group that there is a super-wide variability between people.
I relistened to the Stacey Simms podcast interview that I linked to in my previous comment. Kevin Sayer made an interesting comment when asked about US Medicare coverage for the G7 when it is introduced.
The question he answered recalled the introduction of the G6 and Dexcom’s decision to delay getting Medicare approval for over a year since they had not built up enough capacity to meet all the demand.
He described the intense feedback he got from the community as painful and admitted that that decision was a mistake. I remember the Medicare community, especially on Facebook, felt left out and discriminated against.
He did say, however, that Medicare will not entertain an application until the FDA provides approval. He went on further to say that Medicare normally takes 3-6 months to process that application. I conclude that Medicare beneficiaries will not be getting the G7 from Medicare until at least 3 months after the private insurance market in the US.
Sayer’s willingness to admit a mistake shows good integrity to me. While I’m happy to wait for 3-6 months after G7 introduction into the US market, I’m pretty sure, if/when that happens, there will be plenty of grumbling and retelling of the G6 Medicare fiasco.
I was not personally affected by the G6 delayed Medicare debut since I was happily using the G4 and had plenty of sensors to go through before I was ready to move on.
I expect to be in a similar situation when the G7 comes out. My safety stock of G6 sensors and transmitters will be more than enough to tide me over until Dexcom and Medicare get sorted. Even when Medicare approves the G7 for coverage, I will need to start accumulating G7 inventory for several months before I start using it regularly.
Sayer’s description of the G7 accuracy and improved performance over the G6 does make it sound like a definite upgrade. I look forward to using it but I’m thinking 2023, not 2022.
Terry, I appreciate this msg. I too did not have trouble transitioning from my G5 to my G6 (I’m also on Medicare), but I agree the whole thing could have worked better for a lot of us!
I’m intrigued by your phrase “safety stock of G6 sensors and xmtrs”. My endo and I always agree “never tell your supplier you have spares!” How do you manage to build up a safety stock? In my case, my supplier insists on following Medicare’s rules on how many I can get every 90 days and how soon, etc., so it’s tough to get any extras. In fact, since I occasionally have to replace one mid-session, even if Dexcom sends me a free replacement (they nearly always do) that doesn’t add to my inventory.
Your thoughts, please?
Tom
Although the question is not directed to me, and I have not been able to develop a stock of these, I have been optimizing my ordering. I found out that my pharmacy plan allows a refill of sensors every 23 days. It actually comes to every 24 days, so I set a date on my calendar for the day after it is allowed and order then. I hope over the long haul to be able to accumulate a few…
JamesIgoe,
Thx for your input. I agree ordering the next batch as soon as your plan and supplier will allow it is pbly the best and maybe only way. I’m glad to know I’m not missing out on some other technique!
Almost all of my safety stock is the result of many years of using Dexcom CGMs. I started back in 2009 with the 7+ model. When the G4 arrived, I soon moved to it. I tried and didn’t like the G5 so I moved back to the G4 until my late move to the G6 when forced by Dexcom shutting down the G4 server.
All of these models prior to the G6, sensor restarts were possible and easy to execute. When a 10-day sensor lasts 20 days on a regular basis and you still order as if you’re using one every 10-day period, you can imagine how your supply shelf grows.
Whenever a new Dexcom model appeared, I continued to use my existing excess supply of the older model while I accumulated the newer model even though I wasn’t using the latest model immediately. You get the idea; I rolled the supply advantage forward for each model change.
I did not break any Medicare supply rules except for telling my supplier I had fewer supplies on hand than I did. I disagree with the “just in time” supply philosophy as we who live with diabetes fully understand that diabetes does not always cooperate. A sensor order gets delayed for any number of reasons and you’re expected to “deal with it.” Which could mean living without a sensor to keep you healthy and safe.
I firmly believe that a system that delivers essential medical supplies should never operate so close to the cliff where only the patient suffers from the shortage. Neither the supplier nor the payer suffers when your supply cupboard goes bare, only the patient.
The supplier and payer each assiduously look after their needs; it’s the patient’s job to look after theirs. We did not set up the rules and the system puts us at risk. If we need to bend the rules a tad to protect our health and welfare, then so be it.
Those of us who use insulin understand well beyond the descriptions in medical textbooks just how dynamic this playing field is. Insulin sensitivity is not a static factor and if you don’t adjust when it adjusts then your blood sugar goes out of range. Being able to confidently counter BG movements knowing that any mistakes (and there will be mistakes!) you make can be mitigated by a good sensor.
In your case, Tom, every time you report a mid-session sensor failure to Dexcom and get a replacement, the number of days of service you received on the failed sensor goes into your safety stock. If you experience several failed sensors per year, you should be able to build up a reasonable quantity of sensors.
Doing this with transmitters is harder now. Back during the G4 days, the transmitter service life was 6 months but did not do a hard shut-down at 6 months. They typically lasted 9-12 months. That “extra time” then accrued to my supply shelf.
Unfortunately, with the G6 transmitter, Dexcom shut that door and designed in a hard shutdown around 110 days. Yet they allow you to order a new transmitter every 90 days. Theoretically, you can gain a 20-day advantage for every transmitter. That could translate to about one extra transmitter per year.
So, there is still enough slop in the system to build up your comfort stock to remove you from the cliff’s edge. Diabetes is hard enough, we shouldn’t add in man-made stresses to make it harder. I will do what’s necessary to protect my health and safety.
I have, I believe, 8 extra G6 sensors. Dexcom accidentally sent a quarterly order of G6 supplies (including a transmitter) while I was still using the G5. They would not accept them back, so I eventually donated them to my endocrinologist’s office (which ever after denied they had accepted the stuff).
Doc’s office gave the transmitter and several sensors to patients who needed them, but most of the sensors were left when I had to switch to the G6. I took them back. I have gotten the full 11 sessions out of most of the transmitters, and now have an extra transmitter available at all times. I have an MRI on 2/8, so I’ll have to replace the sensor that should expire at 9:00PM several hours early. My calendar tells me that on 2/28, I’ll start my 11th session with that transmitter, and the next quarter’s supplies should have arrived some time before. I’m working towards having two extra transmitters for a little while because backup supplies are very reassuring. When the G7 finally is available to me, I’ll order it and work through a full quarter’s worth of G6 supplies before I start using it.
Interesting coincidence; that date was the 100th anniversary of the first injection of insulin into a human.
And don’t forget that Dexcom will replace any sensor that fails in any way, be that early, falls off, etc. and you can even do so online.
Lower down in the article, it has bulleted list of coming improvements for the G7
Very exciting! Thanks for posting this information.
So exciting. I actually held one in my hand. Well a mock up one for demonstration. But it looks just like the photos.
I think it’s going to be a big step up.
“fully disposable”
I’ve criticized Dex for this before: I think it’s irresponsible to have a battery-operated medical product with a very short lifespan where the battery and electronics are intentionally designed to go to a landfill. It’s a complete failure of imagination.
I agree. Why not have a snap in battery that can last a couple of months at least