Friday 17th June 2022 GUARDIAN Diabetes supplement

[Ceppo]

Well, have any of you read the Supplement not authored by the Guardian this Friday? It largely seemed an advertising vehicle for varying products laced together with some little articles. However one thing of interest was advertising for a Daily Disposable Needle Free Skin Patch. www.mysugarwatch.je. Very much aimed at T2. I really can't yet say what I think about this having looked at the website. It feels American somehow - all the names and photographs of employees. It appears to be a subscription service and I don't feel qualified to judge how what is being offered compares. To be honest I feel sceptical, it just feels wrong. However, that's just based on how its all presented. I'd be really interested if some of the boffins would chip in.

 

[MrsA2]

Thanks for this. I'm skeptical too.
A company registered in Jersey, seemingly new and out of nowhere with a brand new technology no one has heard of?
Subscription starts at £48 a month for 3 x 14 hour sensors. £98 a month for 10 sensors. Minimum 12 month contract so £576 minimum spend
Lots of your personal and medical data would be beamed to them and then on to other companies (took me ages to find the privacy policy).
OK so they say there's support and coaching but, no it's not for me, not without a lot more info and background, and proof it works

 

[EllieM]

Fascinating, no hint of how the sensor data is presented that I could see (does it actually give you figures or just in/out of range data)?

They give you a glucometer for calibration purposes.... So not fingerprick free?

Subscription starts at £48 a month for 3 x 14 hour sensors. £98 a month for 10 sensors. Minimum 12 month contract so £576 minimum spend

So that's a cgm for 3 14 hour days a month?

A libre sensor would give you 14 24 hour days a month for a similar price?

It sounds like the selling point is the personal advice not the cgm?

 

[Goonergal]

Makes the Libre look cheap!

Given that it takes a few hours to a day for each Libre to ‘bed in’, the reliability of a 14 hour sensor is pretty questionable.

 

[bulkbiker]

Video testimonials going on about "everything in moderation" and "exercise" implies to me that the "diabetes specialists" are pretty ignorant..
One to avoid?

 

[EllieM]

Given that it takes a few hours to a day for each Libre to ‘bed in’, the reliability of a 14 hour sensor is pretty questionable.

Remarkably little information about how the sensor works, I would want to see some links with accuracy etc. But I am clearly not the target audience.

They are going for needle phobic T2s who want some personal hand holding, I think.

Would be very interested to see some feedback once some people are using the service. The video clips were very brief.

 

[Oldvatr]

Samsung are working on a glucowatch as are Apple. I prefer to wait till they have produced a worlable technoogy.

Seems to be using licenced technology
https://contracts.justia.com/companies/nemaura-medical-inc-4733/contract/200598/


Current technology spits out a cgm reading value once every 5 minutes presumably to an App on a smart device (a watch? or could it be a phone?) Presumably the subscription includes the App but does it provide the watch? Do you ever own the watch or do you have to return it when the subscription ends? Will there be competimg suppliers of compatuble or cheaper sensors, or will it be like nornmal BGL meters where the strips are single sourced?

Here is your starter foe 10
https://nemauramedical.com/
This is their own version of the device
https://sugarbeat.com/

 

[Oldvatr]

Here is a bit more on the device
https://www.openaccessgovernment.org/steering-the-digital-non-invasive-cgm-revolution/113535/
It has CE approval so can be sold in Europe, but their application for FDA approval is not yet complete.

I see mysugarwatch is appearing on a facebook timeline near me several places, which lowers my esteem in their operation. It seems to be only marketed to T2D so we must presume tht it does not meet the accuracy requirements for insulin users to depend on.

The sugarbeat needs a fingerprick calibration each day. so has a +/- 15% possible error before it even starts to measure (from the BGL reading itself).
https://www.healthline.com/diabetes...nning-at-glucose-measurement-without-needles?

 

[EllieM]

It seems to be only marketed to T2D so we must presume tht it does not meet the accuracy requirements for insulin users to depend on.

It might just be that it isn't price competitive to be used 24/7 ???

 

[Oldvatr]

It might just be that it isn't price competitive to be used 24/7 ???

They do have a kit aimed at insulin users, but their marketing is T2D specific, not diabetes generic. The insulin users kit has more sensors in it and has a higher subscription rate, so you may be right there.

 

[Oldvatr]

The US version comes with a docking port device which seems to be needed to activate the patch and also has a USB port and the article mentions rechargeable batteries in the patch so maybe the patches will be reusable? Not sure.

 

[sgm14]

It feels American somehow - all the names and photographs of employees.

At least four based in England according to https://www.linkedin.com/company/mysugarwatch

 

[Oldvatr]

At least four based in England according to https://www.linkedin.com/company/mysugarwatch

The technology is American based in Nevada, and Mysugarwatch is in the Channel Islands (Jersey) where they get a good tax break.

 

[MrsA2]

Did some more research past night.
Seems very much in its infancy. Lots of Facebook posts but no comments or anything from users or supporters. One blog about healthy eating concentrated on fibre from wholegrain!
Some parts of the marketing seem quite glitzy, others very amateur. One shows a table witha couple of posters set up in a Tescos. Not exactly multinational advertising budget!
Has anyone found how the device works?

 

[Oldvatr]

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4455416/
i have visions of a treatment for T2D is just sitting in a bath of buffer solution and letting osmosis do its thing to reduce excess blood glucose. Basically this is a natural process that occurs all the time. My wife always thought I was a sweetie. I thought she meant sweaty!. So the magic comes in detecting the small amount of seepage, and turning it into digits in a bluetooth message every 5 minutes. Simples? I think - NOT (or others would have achieved it earlier).