My assumption is that this bypasses regulatory authority requirements for approval and the requirement in the US for a prescription. The pump manufacturers are legally obliged not to use them as a result (follow the money etc.)
FOSS applications can pair to the Lingo, although it might require a fork off Reddit. It’s unlikely the major FOSS implementors will broadcast the availability.
Stelo seems to be the same deal, but 70-250mg/dL:
I don’t know if there is FOSS support yet but one developer posted a request for info in August last year.
I’d go for the Lingo; I know if I’m over 250 but when the sensor is reading low (I currently use a G7) I have to do a fingerstick to work out whether the sensor is broken or I am.
In regards the supply chains, the Stelo is a G7 with different software on it. The Lingo and Rio are the Libre 2 with different software. So an issue with the supply of T1D CGMs is going to affect the OTC products as well. They are a good option to keep in mind but I’m not going to make plans around them.
Its been 6-ish months since Dexcom didn’t ship the batch(es?) of G7 that didn’t meet spec. At this point I’d suspect DME company stupidity before a supply chain issue. Dexcom should be doing an earnings call this week or next, maybe we’ll get more info from that.
This article has some relevant facts on the various options and is quite well written:
The Libre2 was approved for diabetic use in the US in June 2020 despite the lower accuracy. The Lingo has the same accuracy according to the above article. Diatribe’s take from 2020 is here:
So, yes, the Libre was apparently insufficiently accurate for use in loop systems (“iCGM” in the diatribe article).
My guess is that Abbott is repurposing its manufacturing facilities to pump out Lingoes and targeting the diabetic market with the newer and significantly more accurate Libre 3. The latter beats the G7 on accuracy (see the first article, although I notice it doesn’t seem to include references).
Once great point in the first article is the observation that the prescription requirement is weird; we never needed a prescription for blood test strips, what’s magic about a CGM? Why is it so dangerous that we need a prescription, but only if it has an alarm capability? It’s a farce.
It’s quite likely they can swap the software (firmware) download easily on a single production line. It’s also possible the existing software supports both modes of operation and it’s just a switch (a jumper) on the PCB which needs to change.
So, yes, Dexcom might use the Stelo as a buffer in case of supply chain issues; make Stelos when the supplies are available, stop making them if there is a hiccup.
I’m not so sure about Abbott. They seem to be two sensor versions ahead of the Libre 2 now:
