Dexcom G5 Prices Now Revealed!
- Thread starter tim2000s
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I got a reply from AT that they only sell receiver + transmitter because of the "FDA ruling"... not sure how FDA rulings have any legal power in Europe..?!
In the diatribe post they say it's possible to update the software on the G4 receiver to G5, but AT said it's only available in the US
I don't exactly want to spend £400 on yet another receiver which I'll rarely use
As far as I know the upgrade reference refers to G4 receivers with the 'share' feature that were available in the US but never made it to the UK.
PaulinaB
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Aaah, that would make sense! Receivers with the share feature had bluetooth chip in, so they can use it for G5. I was wondering how the "update" would work with the old G4 receiver, since it has a wifi-type chip not bluetooth. So that explains it
Boysie1985
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Ok guys. Total cost for the G5 receiver and transmitter in the Netherlands is €909 which is about £668. Add to this €298 for 4 sensors which is about £219. Total cost £887. So that's £100 cheaper than advanced therapeutics. Not as much as I had hoped but still a bit cheaper
PaulinaB
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I received a response from AT about the FDA thing. Basically because of the FDA, Dexcom can only sell the receiver and transmitter together, so AT gets them together as a pack so they sell it like that. From what I understand AT is technically only a reseller so they sell things however Dexcom sells them to them.
Does anyone heard anything on how long the transmitter actually lasts? US had G5 earlier so maybe there are some comments on this. I was very keen on the idea of G5 since I heard about it but if the transmitter lasts only 3 months then it's horrible. Unless 3 months is only a warranty and it will actually last twice that (transmitter for G4 has 6 months warranty and lasts 12-15 months). Even, still, that brings the running costs of the system to twice as much as the G4. Because the replacement transmitter for G4 costs the same as for G5 (£350) but you only need it once a year! And if the G5 really only lasts 3 months, then the cost rises 4 times!!!
Plus, I don't think anyone noticed but AT increased the price of sensors from £250 to £260 on their website...
Does anyone heard anything on how long the transmitter actually lasts? US had G5 earlier so maybe there are some comments on this. I was very keen on the idea of G5 since I heard about it but if the transmitter lasts only 3 months then it's horrible. Unless 3 months is only a warranty and it will actually last twice that (transmitter for G4 has 6 months warranty and lasts 12-15 months). Even, still, that brings the running costs of the system to twice as much as the G4. Because the replacement transmitter for G4 costs the same as for G5 (£350) but you only need it once a year! And if the G5 really only lasts 3 months, then the cost rises 4 times!!!
Plus, I don't think anyone noticed but AT increased the price of sensors from £250 to £260 on their website...
Can't remember the website I read the review on but the article stated that the transmitter automatically shuts down a little after the 3 month mark. All to do with the Bluetooth power requirements apparently.
PaulinaB
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The Bluetooth low-energy tech which technically uses way less power than the wifi chip in G4...?
I was kind of expecting the Bluetooth transmitter to last LONGER than the wifi one...
I'm not sure. Think Bluetooth has a bit of a reputation for being a bit power hungry, historically anyway. Can see the difference on my phone when I turn Bluetooth on.
PaulinaB
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Yep, that's why smart people of this world came up with "Bluetooth low energy" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bluetooth_low_energy) which is supposed to use 10% of the energy that the "original" Bluetooth needs. The chips in phones still use Classic Bluetooth most of the time, especially if you're "discoverable".
So with the new G5 you get half of the range of G4 and quarter of the battery time. It seems to me something somewhere went terribly wrong... Or good, for Dexcom's profits. Depends how you look at it.
foxesocks
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Does anyone know how a 90 day warranty for the G5 transmitter is legal in the UK? Regardless of how the sale is advertised surely the goods have to last a reasonable length of time, or they have to provide replacements up to at least the 6 month mark?
I'm assuming this is why there are 2 transmitters in the US boxes - to avoid warranty challenges from the larger market.
I'm assuming this is why there are 2 transmitters in the US boxes - to avoid warranty challenges from the larger market.
TorqPenderloin
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I had a thought this morning: I wonder if the transmitter shuts off but can be restarted similar to the sensors?
My other concern, as previously mentioned, was that their website says the 3 month warranty applies from the ship date. Since they sent me two sensors that would essentially mean the second will never be out of warranty before it's even out of the box.
It's been exactly one month today that I've been wearing my G5 so I'm still a ways away from confirming how the auto-shutoff feature works.
Happy to continue sharing anything else I think may be relevant to this thread.
My other concern, as previously mentioned, was that their website says the 3 month warranty applies from the ship date. Since they sent me two sensors that would essentially mean the second will never be out of warranty before it's even out of the box.
It's been exactly one month today that I've been wearing my G5 so I'm still a ways away from confirming how the auto-shutoff feature works.
Happy to continue sharing anything else I think may be relevant to this thread.
Boysie1985
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This is why the lifetime of the G5 transmitter is is shorter:
"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."
"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."
foxesocks
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The situation looks even worse when you visit the US Dexcom site:
http://dexcom.com/faq/why-am-i-receiving-two-transmitters
I don't see a FAQ for "why am I receiving one transmitter..."
I like Dexcom and AT but something has gone badly wrong in the UK market.
I'm pretty disappointed really, I self fund libre and would have a loved to try G5 but I had hoped it would be coming down in price, not rising so much. If the transmitters are only lasting 3 months and are £350 then the transmitter alone costs more than 3 months worth of libre sensors before you even take into account sensors and the initial reciever expense. I'd like the alarms and the mobile app/analysis but I'm not sure that's worth triple the cost of libre.
I've had a G4 since July 2012 when they came into the UK. The sensors were £62.50 each back then, so I don't think there's much cause to grumble over a £2.50 rise in three years. I'd be happier if the NHS woke up to the benefits of cgm and started funding it for those who want to stay well and not cost them in sorting out crises.
Dexcom have designed the G5 transmitter to switch off after three months, so no hope of it lasting like the G4s do. At least the G4 is still available for those who don't want to pay the premium for sharing data via an iPhone. I don't have one of those either - and I'll not be buying one. Hurrah for choice!
Has there been any updates to this device regards pricing. I've just come across it and was thinking about giving it a try, but being type 2 and not experiencing crazy readings I'm thinking its very expensive
ElkBond
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jackois
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Currently, £275 for a transmitter and 4 sensors for new customers. Strangely, you have to do your first purchase by phone. After that the 'online store' should be available to you.
I ordered this week. The customer sales person was very good, taking me through the process and telling me what would happen next. However, there's no e-mail confirmation, it seems, as the kit turned up 2 days later unannounced. I'm waiting for a form from them to fill in for the VAT exemption.
Now doing the studying of the instruction book, watching you tube videos, and checking out the different posts on various sites before taking the plunge. Hopefully, there'll be no Libre-like skin problems!
