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Non invasive / Continous Glucose Monitoring in UK?

S

sharpharp

Member
Having grown tired of checking glucose levels using finger pricking etc, I've been looking to non invasive monitoring.

I'm not bothered whether it is continuous or not, but non invasive.

Does anyone have any info on any such device available in the UK which doesn't cost the earth?

I've read about the Freestyle Libre, but the sensors are expensive and is currently not available on NHS
Also read up on Glucotrack, but no Uk distributors and requires 6 monthly Ear plug replacements and calibration. The ear plug replacement cost is doable, but having to visit a place somewhere in the UK to calibrate it every 6 months seems a chew on.

So just wondering if there have been an genuine advances and devices available as off April 2016? There are so many articles of such devices on the Internet, but nothing seems to ever materialize. Not sure whether they are just pipe dreams, or whether the big lancet market providers buy them up to hush something that would affect their own market.

Either way, anyone know the current situation for diabetics wanting to gain access to this tech? In the long run, having the ability to monitor your bloods more often would help you deal with issues and long term reduce the burden on the NHS.

Thanks
 
noblehead said:
Not sure of the time scale when this device will be available, but the following looks promising and is non-invasive:

http://www.gluco-wise.com/
Click to expand...

Funnily enough, I contacted gluco-wise a couple of times over the past year and they just seem like another outfit with no substance.

Yes they have a flashy website with all the right pictures, but they haven't updated their website for over a year, they don't answer emails, and their facebook page is like a tumbleweed after the initial bravado from 2014/2015.

If they are legit, then they need a marketing person to keep us informed, otherwise it's just another flash in the pan.
 

That is a shame as the device looks promising.

Taken from their FAQ's page:

What is the current status? When will it be available to order?
GlucoWise™ is currently in development and will be available to purchase once clinical trials are completed. We expect to start taking pre-orders in late 2016.
 
Its a pity that the cost of finger pricking and test strips are mentioned but I am unable to find the cost either to the patient or the NHS?
 
So the simple answer is that what you are looking for doesn't actually exist as a marketable, purchasable product @sharpharp.

Both the Libre and Dexcom are invasive and require a sensor that goes through the skin, and both still require you to finger prick.

As others have listed, there are a bunch of interesting possibilities, the closest of which to market seems to be SugarBEAT, however we have no timelines for any of this stuff so sadly it is sit and wait.
 
I use a Medtronic Guardian CGM, it does require insertion of a sensor once a week, but I have had a sensor in for as many as 23 days- still getting spot on accurate readings. I only had to change it when I knocked it and it fell out.
You do have to calibrate it every 12 hours with a finger prick, this is considerably less than the 300 blood strips I was using every month.
It has been a lifesaver for night time hypos more times than I can count since I got it March 2015, it isn't infallible though.
Just yesterday, for the first time since I had it I had a severe hypo, seizure ( bit my tongue & it's killing ) out of my mind.
I had to be given glucagon for the first time in a year because I didn't feel the vibration & slept thru the alarm.
I'm full of cuts & bruises from the fall.

The continuous part of the title isn't quite accurate, the Medtronic gives a new reading every five minutes & depending on how much insulin I have had compared to how little I have eaten sometimes it can miss a hypo although they are only in the 3 range.

Having said all that I wouldn't be without it for as long as can get funding, my diabetic consultant nurse has to apply for funding every 6 months & I have to keep a note of every alert.

I am type 1
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Appreciate the feedback.
I've written to pretty much every company associated with all these potentially Non-invasive monitoring devices:
Glucotrack, Glucowise, SugarBeat to name a few.

None of them are interested in answering emails or providing information. Surely some of them should have a marketing team if they were genuine...

A couple of them say on their websites about devices being ready being authorized for Europe, but when you contact them, zilch.

Oh well, don't believe the hype.
 

The phone number for Medtronic is 01923205167, they are there 24/7 - switching to the USA customer services at 5pm GMT
They have always been of help to me when I have needed them, and it was a lot in the first month & I have since had two free clips for wearing on my pants when I have dropped it - they are $12.50 on the American site.

They also sent me several free sensors when I had accidents, & the sensors are not cheap- it costs £845 for three boxes.
For 15 sensors.
According to them that is three months worth, I could stretch it to about 5 months as long the sensor is inserted correctly
 
A recent press release from Nemaura suggests they aren't getting the accuracy they might like in their clinical trials that already underway:

"The sugarBEAT
skin-patch is designed to display real time glucose readings on a reader via blue tooth, or allow retrospective data evaluation on a reader or mobile phone App. Nemaura today issued results of an interim study of eight patient day visits, consisting of five Type I diabetics, two of whom made two visits each, and one Type II insulin dependent diabetic patient, with up to 12 hours device wear time per day. Previously Nemaura reported data on over 100 patient days clinical evaluation of the sugarBEAT
system with glucose levels measured once every 20 minutes, thus three times an hour. This study was designed to establish the possibility of measuring glucose levels at five minute intervals, 12 times every hour. The evaluation consisted of 81 paired data points, with a single finger prick calibration, and glucose range between 70-400 mg/dl. The results indicated a MARD of 14.05%, and 75% of the data in Zone A, and over 98% of the data in Zones A and B of the Clarke Error grid. There were no reports of skin irritation or other adverse events.

Nemaura Medical anticipate launching sugarBEAT
in Europe at the end of 2016, and stated that this result provides further confidence in sugarBEAT
, and positions it well amongst current CGM’s."
 
Not surprised too much by this. the CG-EGA (Clarke Error Grid) displays not just point accuracy, but also rate accuracy, In other words a CGM has to track moving values. In the test the sample rate was increased to 12 spm from 3 spm, and is probably showing the meter is running faster than it can cope with accuracy. What the results reported show is that 75% of samples were within 20% of reference, 98% were within reasonable but safe limits, and only 2% of samples could lead to an unsafe report.
 
You can find out the cost of test strips by asking your pharmacist I did this and my are 25 a box of 50. My consultant was shocked when he found out as I required 6 boxes were 2 weeks!!

I use the libre. It's 150 for the machine which comes with starter sensors. Then it's 100 for two sensors after that which keeps it going for a month. I figured even if I use it two weeks on and then off it gives me a load of information for myself to adjust etc and time off from the finger stabbing maybe worth thinking about
 
MENTERING Continously.
I saw a programme BBC Truth about Carbs a brilliant programme but - they were using a monitor stuck on their arms and picked up on phone app.
Anyone tell me what it was, where, how much ?....?
 
paddlerjay said:
MENTERING Continously.
I saw a programme BBC Truth about Carbs a brilliant programme but - they were using a monitor stuck on their arms and picked up on phone app.
Anyone tell me what it was, where, how much ?....?
Click to expand...
Freestyle libre there are quite a few threads on it ...
 
paddlerjay said:
Anyone tell me what it was, where, how much ?....?
Click to expand...

All the info you need is here: https://www.freestylelibre.co.uk/libre/ Some forum members use it including myself, me included. Not an essential tool but crikey does it make a difference to my control.

I see from the website they have a "Buy Now" which is possibly misleading unless the situation has changed in the last couple of weeks (always possible). There have been some supply issues because demand is great. Best to check on their website.
 
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