A man wears Abbott's Lingo biosensor.
Courtesy of Abbott
Abbott Laboratories announced Thursday that its over-the-counter Lingo continuous glucose monitor is available in the U.S. starting at $49.
Lingo is part of a new class of consumer-friendly biosensors that can help people learn how their bodies respond to food, exercise, sleep and stress. These devices, called continuous glucose monitors, are small sensors that are poked through the skin to measure glucose levels in real time. Glucose is a sugar molecule that comes from food and is the body's main source of energy.
Continuous glucose monitors have served as a tool for patients with diabetes, but Lingo is not intended for diabetes management. Instead, it is designed for adults who do not take insulin and want to “improve their overall health and well-being,” according to a press release.
Everyone's glucose levels fluctuate, but persistently high levels can cause more serious health problems such as metabolic disease, insulin resistance and heart disease, Abbott said. The company argues Lingo can educate users about existing habits and help them manage their glucose levels in a healthier way.
“That's really the goal, not only to see and understand what's going on in your body, but to be able to improve that, to build those healthy habits that drive those changes,” said Ben Fohner, the head of Abbott's Lingo app, in an interview with CNBC.
Abbott already offers continuous glucose monitors for diabetes patients in the US and wants to conquer a completely new market with Lingo. About one in three Americans, for example, suffers from prediabetes, but these patients are generally not eligible for prescriptions or insurance coverage for the monitors.
Now they can pay for the sensors out of pocket, without a prescription. Users can buy one sensor online for $49, two sensors for $89 or six sensors for $249, Abbott said. Each sensor is worn on the upper arm for up to 14 days.
Olivier Ropars, Abbott's divisional vice president for Lingo, said the company decided to offer three different pricing options so curious consumers aren't put off by a long-term commitment. A customer can choose to buy just one sensor and try it out for a few weeks.
“We want to make it as accessible and affordable as possible,” Ropars said in an interview with CNBC.
Abbott's competitor Dexcom is also eyeing the prediabetes market. In late August, the company launched its over-the-counter continuous glucose monitor tailored to that target group. Dexcom's device is called Stelo and is available in the U.S. for $89 a month. Patients with type 2 diabetes who do not take insulin can also use it, the company said.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Dexcom's Stelo in March and cleared two over-the-counter continuous glucose monitoring systems from Abbott in June. One of Abbott's systems was Lingo, and the second system, called Libre Rio, is intended for patients with type 2 diabetes who do not take insulin.
Although type 2 patients who don't take insulin could technically use Lingo, Ropars said Abbott primarily recommends Libre Rio because it was designed specifically for them. The company declined to say when Libre Rio will be available.
The Lingo app
Abbott's Lingo app.
Courtesy of Abbott
Like many continuous glucose monitors, Lingo transmits data wirelessly to an app. When users open it, they see a real-time display of their glucose data, updated every minute.
These glucose levels are plotted on a graph that includes a shaded area to indicate a “healthy range.” Fohner said Abbott's clinical team defines this range as 140 milligrams per deciliter to 70 milligrams per deciliter.
One of Abbott's main goals is to help Lingo users learn more about glucose spikes, which occur when the amount of sugar in the bloodstream rises quickly and then falls again. Glucose spikes often occur after eating.
Spikes can push a user's glucose above the healthy range, but they can also occur within the healthy range. Limiting spikes and overall improving glucose management can help users improve their sleep and mood, manage their weight and proactively work on their future health, Abbott said.
To help users better visualize the impact of their spikes, Abbott has developed a metric called the Lingo Count, an algorithm that assigns a numerical value to each glucose spike to represent how big the impact is. Each day, users have a target Lingo Count that they want to stay below.
Abbott's Lingo app.
Courtesy of Abbott
Users can see this data in a second, more interactive glucose graph when they scroll down on Lingo's homepage. In the shaded area below a spike, a number is displayed that represents the Lingo counter for that spike.
“This is unique to Lingo, but actually the number is an indicator and a function of what your peak was, how long it lasted and what effect that peak had on your body,” Fohner said.
Users can analyze Lingo Count data and see how it evolves over time and what time of day the strongest spikes occur. They can also enter competitions and access educational resources to learn how to reduce these spikes.
Ropars said metabolism doesn't change overnight and everyone's body works differently. He said Lingo can serve as a window to see how and why a user's glucose levels fluctuate. But the real value of Lingo lies in the support it can offer users as they try to establish healthy habits, Ropars said.
“Many of our products today are geared towards helping people who have a chronic illness and are trying to get back on their feet,” he said. “This is the first time we've developed a product to help people, improve their daily lives and give them control of their health before they get sick.”
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