Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Medicare Agrees To Cover Abbott's Glucose Monitor For Diabetes Patients
CNBC: Medicare To Cover New Glucose Monitor, Giving Abbott An Edge Over Rival Dexcom
Abbott won big and early this new year. Its FreeStyle Libre continuous glucose monitor received Medicare coverage, one month after it was launched, the company said Thursday. The decision comes ... between 9 and 12 months ahead of Wall Street's expectations, J.P. Morgan analyst Michael Weinstein wrote in a note following the announcement. The product is the first continuous glucose monitor on the market that doesn't require patients to prick their finger to draw blood. (LaVito, 1/4)
Chicago Tribune: Medicare Patients With Diabetes Gain Coverage For Abbott's Prick-Free Glucose Monitor
The system reads glucose levels through a sensor the size of two stacked quarters that patients place on the back of their upper arm. It can be worn for 10 days. Patients capture real-time glucose readings by placing a hand-held reader over the sensor and give themselves insulin dosages based on the results. Users still may have to prick their fingers to confirm the results if their symptoms don’t match the system reading or if they get particularly low or high readings. The list price in the U.S. is $36 per sensor and $70 for the reader, though prices vary at the retail pharmacy and based on insurance coverage, a company spokeswoman said. (Elejalde-Ruiz, 1/4)
Reuters: CMS To Cover Abbott's Glucose Monitoring Device
Abbott’s device is the second continuous glucose monitoring system after DexCom Inc’s G5 Mobile to be covered by the federal agency. DexCom’s device is similar to Abbott‘s, but requires fingertip testing about two to four times a day for optimal accuracy. (1/4)
