Treatments for Type 2 diabetes and new clinical trial data on glucose sensors and insulin pumps were a focus at this week’s Advanced Technologies & Treatments for Diabetes conference.
Medtech manufacturers gathered in Amsterdam to discuss the latest innovations for managing diabetes. Here are three highlights from the first day of the conference:
1. Dexcom previews new data for 15-day glucose monitor
Dexcom shared the first data for its 15-day continuous glucose monitor ahead of a Thursday presentation. The new device would give Dexcom a CGM that can be worn for as long as competitor Abbott’s Freestyle Libre 3 Plus sensor.
COO Jake Leach said in a February earnings call that the company hopes to receive Food and Drug Administration clearance in the second half of the year.
Dexcom said the new sensor has a mean absolute relative difference of 8%, making it the most accurate CGM. MARD measures the average difference between device measurements and reference measurements, such as fingerstick tests.
Leerink Partners analyst Mike Kratky described the data as an “incremental positive,” adding that Dexcom could potentially boost its margins with similar insurance reimbursement for two sensors rather than three per month.
2. Tandem shares pivotal trial results on Type 2 diabetes
Tandem Diabetes Care shared new data on Wednesday that supported FDA clearance of its Control-IQ+ algorithm for Type 2 diabetes. The clearance made Tandem the second company with an authorized automated insulin delivery system, which integrates data from glucose monitors with insulin pumps, after competitor Insulet received an expanded indication in August.
The study enrolled 319 people in a randomized controlled trial. Tandem found that people who used its Control-IQ+ algorithm paired with Dexcom’s G6 sensor had a 0.9% reduction in A1C compared with a 0.3% reduction in the control group, who used the sensor paired with whatever insulin delivery method they used prior to the study.
The trial also found that users’ time spent in a target blood sugar range improved by 16% with Control-IQ+, an increase of 3.4 hours per day compared to the control group. The results were published in the New England Journal of Medicine on Wednesday.
J.P. Morgan analyst Robbie Marcus wrote in a research note that the result is “another positive data point that should continue to support Type 2 pump adoption broadly.” Although, he added, Insulet is expected to keep the majority share given its patch-pump form factor.
3. Insulet analysis focused on Type 2
Insulet released an abstract from a sub-analysis of a pivotal trial that it used to get a Type 2 indication for its AID system last year. The single-arm trial showed that Type 2 patients taking insulin saw similar glycemic benefits — such as improvements in HbA1c and time in range — regardless of whether they were also taking GLP-1 or SGLT2 medications, Marcus wrote.
As the use of medications such as Ozempic and Mounjaro become more prevalent, diabetes tech companies have sought to demonstrate that patients can still benefit from the use of CGMs and insulin pumps. Insulet CEO Jim Hollingshead talked about the trial in a November earnings call, saying there’s a clinical need for the devices, even for people who are taking both insulin and a GLP-1.
