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Dexcom CGM price difference issues

Boysie1985

Active Member
Messages
32
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
Hi Guys

Some of you I've spoken to in other threads. Thought I would start a new one here so more people can see.

We've been discussing the issues with the cost of Dexcom here in the UK compared to other parts of Europe and the US all of which get much cheaper deals and upgrade options e.g. In the US it seems they get 2 G5 transmitters for the price of 1 as they only last 3 months. Here we are charged the full price every 3 months which increases total cost compared to the G4. We are also offered no upgrade discount options like in the US. According to the UK distributors this is due to the fact that dexcom don't give them any discount options to pass on to UK customers. Whilst this sounds plausible, we have discovered that the Netherlands sell the G4 transmitters for 320euros inclusive of vat compared to the UK £325 exclusive of VAT - meaning that either dexcom are giving better deals to other parts of Europe OR the UK distributer is taking advantage of having sole rights and increasing their profit margin.

I understand that business is all about making money - but Dexcom prices and options should be similar for everyone regardless of which country they are from.

In order to get some answers and hopefully get some solutions, I am looking for as many of you as possible who I can cc into my emails to dexcom directly. I am in contact with a customer service rep at the moment and have asked for someone higher up in the company to discuss these issues with. The more of us in discussion the better!

So please private message me your emails and names and once we get enough I can continue my email discussion and try and get some answers.
 
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Hopefully, you've spoken to more people in the US than just me about the two transmitters.

I have EXCELLENT insurance which in this case paid about $3000usd for my initial G5 kit. I'm not sure if every person receives the second transmitter free or if that's specific to my insurance.

Dexcom billed my insurance for each transmitter but I only had to pay out of pocket for one of them.

I've actually been extremely interested in this myself and will certainly share any significant updates I come across.
 
That's great. Either way though we are still not being offered what others are. The massive difference in price from the Netherlands to the UK is absurd. I'm pretty sure I did read somewhere else that someone in the US got two transmitters.

What really gets me though is the video where the CEO has said he wants to treat loyal customers well.
 
I'm not necessarily defending Dexcom, but don't forget that we have very strict health laws in the U.S. Getting F.DA. (Food and drug administration) approval is not easy and many drugs/medications are often approved in other countries first. That often drives up costs and limits how medications can be distributed.

Furthermore, Dexcom is still a relatively small company. Theyre a fraction of the size compared to Eli Lilly or Johnson and Johnson. Consequently, they may not have the distribution options that make it cost effective to ship to Europe.

With that said, I still have concerns of my own and I'm glad there are others seeking transparency about what options are available.
 
That's all understandable. But the the cost amongst the EU nations should surely be the same. It may not be dexcom who are causing the issue here - it could well be the UK distributer setting higher prices as they are the sole ones. If that's the case then I would be happy to direct my concerns to them - but ideally as a group of us who won't put up with it.
 
If I was you @Boysie1985 I would gather a great deal more data from US customers to get a proper view of what the pricing is. Insurance has a habit of skewing the numbers.

It certainly looks as though AT are taking an interesting percentage on top of the costs, given the prices across Europe. In your OP, the numbers should be €320 from NL and £325 for AT.
 
Sounds like a good idea @tim2000s. In regards to the upgrade program - the upgrades were from G4 share to G5. As Europe didn't get the G4 share I can understand that issue. BUT why didn't we have share?!

I've messaged the distributers from Netherlands. This was his response:

"I'm aware of the price differences in the different EU markets, every local market has his own price mechanism. I'm not in favor to deliver G4 transmitters to UK customers, it would stress my position to the UK distributor and Dexcom to much.
Also for you users its better to have a good business relationship and having good service and after-sales from the local distributor.

In our market the Dexcom G5 transmitter will have a similar price as the G4 transmitter. Its no something that is in our hands, take in mind that the production cost for the G4 and G5 transmitter are the same.
Why the 3 months lifetime ? In the G4 the algorithm is in the receiver. For the G5 we could not place this part into the mobile app, its not allowed, your telephone would become a medical device.
So calculation mode is placed in the transmitter, for this continuous calculations, the transmitter use more power. In combination with the Bluetooth connectivity this mean less lifetime."
 
Can I also suggest that you are a little careful in the interactions that you have with various parties around Europe on this. It wouldn't be good for cheaper sources to stop UK deliveries as a result of your enquiries.
 
It's a shame Dexcom haven't set up local branches rather than using unaffiliated third-party distributors who can mark-up as they please, which it seems AT is doing. Thanks for your work in looking into this further.
 
I would just like clarity on what is happening. Are there other incurred costs to the UK distributers or are we being taken advantage of? If it's the latter then it simply isn't acceptable to be making money off of our conditions.
 
Boysie1985 said:
I would just like clarity on what is happening. Are there other incurred costs to the UK distributers or are we being taken advantage of? If it's the latter then it simply isn't acceptable to be making money off of our conditions.
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You may want to look at some of the other products that AT now sell and used to be free to answer that question...
 
Boysie1985 said:
I would just like clarity on what is happening. Are there other incurred costs to the UK distributers or are we being taken advantage of? If it's the latter then it simply isn't acceptable to be making money off of our conditions.
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It's perfectly acceptable and it's the very reason why so many treatment options exist and why new options are being developed.

It's unrealistic to think that pharmaceutical companies are in business solely to help people. They're in business to make money.

Money allows for more research which leads to new treatments which ultimately leads to a cure.
 
You've missed the point - nobody is complaining about the prices Dexcom charge and it's agreed they need to make money (and, as you point out, that profit will in many cases be used to develop exciting new treatment options). However, it's another matter when an independent third-party distributor -- who is not a pharma company and does not develop or have any interest in the R&D process -- rips-off customers with exorbitant pricing by way of exploiting their monopoly position.
 
That's an extremely rude and unfounded statement to make.
 
If the process upsets you then perhaps you should deal with Dexcom directly?
 
CarbsRok said:
That's an extremely rude and unfounded statement to make.
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One can certainly question the pricing structure in the UK when pricing in other European countries is clearly displayed and obviously 25% cheaper...
 
That's my issue @tim2000s. Dexcom prices I'm fine with. It's what happens between that and coming to us through the distributers that I want to know about. I'd love to deal with dexcom directly, but they only deal through distributers. So I'd like to know why, and what the costs are to the distributers. Some transparency would be nice.
 
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