Competition in Type 2 Diabetes Heats Up with Dexcom Data

Last week Dexcom, a Wall Street darling that dominates diabetes continuous glucose monitoring (CGM), just put another feather in its own cap with the release of new clinical data.

The existing Dexcom CGM device in the market called G6 has been a real advance for patients. It was the first CGM to gain FDA approval for use with electronic devices used to manage diabetes such as automated insulin dosing systems and insulin pumps.

Despite the relatively recent 2018 FDA approval for the G6, the market has been eagerly awaiting news of the release of Dexcom’s fully redesigned G7 CGM device which is 60% smaller than the G6, has a faster warm-up time, more open-source connectivity with various insulin delivery systems and an upgraded app experience.

Last week, at the International Conference on Advanced Technologies & Treatments for Diabetes (ATTD), Dexcom announced the publication of two new studies that support the G7 and the efficacy of CGM for type 2 diabetics.

1) The MOBILE study, just published by JAMA, is a randomized, controlled study (RCT) showing people with Type 2 diabetes using background (or “basal”) insulin benefitting from CGM when compared to a traditional blood glucose meter. The device used in the study was Dexcom’s G6 and patients in the CGM arm showed (i) improved hemoglobin A1c, (ii) nearly four more hours each day within an optimal glucose range and (iii) experienced fewer periods of low blood sugar.

2) Data was presented comparing G7 to G6 and competitors such as Abbot’s Libre 2 and Medtronic’s GS4. G7 presented as the better of the four using a metric called MARD (mean absolute relative difference). These data are from > 90 adults enrolled in small studies. This work is being used to support G7’s CE Mark submission and U.S. pre-pivotal work.

Type 2 diabetes patients represent a large market and is a main driver of Dexcom’s growth strategy. Though some Wall Street equity analysis are concerned that Dexcom will need to compete with Abbott on price to get people’s attention and entrench into the Type 2 diabetes market, last week’s presentations only shows that Dexcom’s momentum is building.