Dexcom Share’s Remote Monitoring Product, Which Enables Real-Time G4 Platinum Data to be Sent to Smartphones, Submitted to the FDA
By Adam Brown
In July 2013, Dexcom filed for FDA approval of the Dexcom Share remote monitoring system for the G4 Platinum CGM (continuous glucose monitor). Such approvals typically take at least 180 days, so if it is approved, we expect the product could launch sometime in early to mid-2014. The Dexcom Share system sends CGM data to up to five designated recipients via the internet. Here’s how it works:
The G4 Platinum receiver will plug into a Dexcom Share docking cradle. The Share cradle (plugged into a power outlet) will both charge the receiver and transmit CGM data every five minutes to a nearby iPhone or iPod touch via Bluetooth. The Dexcom Share app on the nearby smartphone will receive the CGM data and send it up to the internet. Once there, the data can be shared with up to five people. Note that an important part of these systems is data security, which is reviewed very closely by the FDA
Patients will be able to invite individuals to receive their CGM data by sending an invitation from the Share app on their iPhone (Android is in development). Those invited will download another app called ‘Dexcom Follow’. These followers will then be able to receive alerts for high and low glucose, and view glucose trends on demand. This would be welcome news for parents and partners, who often watch glucose numbers even more aggressively than patients. The notifications will be completely programmable – e.g., a follower could choose not to be notified of a 200 mg/dl excursion after breakfast, but to get all hypoglycemia notifications. This will be a dream for many who have relied on asking patients for data in the past.
Dexcom Share is an important product that enhances CGM, especially for parents and caregivers. Medtronic’s FDA-approved remote monitor mySentry works along similar lines, sending pump and CGM readings to a bedside monitor within a 50-100 feet range. Additionally, Ambio Health has also just received clearance on its remote health monitoring system that sends readings from the AgaMatrix Presto blood glucose meter (see new now next in this issue) to a web-based platform. –Nancy Liu and Adam Brown
