The Rising Influence of Rising Affluence

[DewDiligence]

ABT’s Freestyle Libre glucose monitor yields mountains of useful data—for ABT:

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/diabetics-addicted-data-135249729.html

When Abbott Laboratories rolled out a device in Europe to help diabetics measure their glucose levels without having to prick a finger, it included a novel ask for patients: Would they allow the company to collect their data to help guide care? The company never imagined it would be sparking an information obsession.

More than 50,000 people who used the FreeStyle Libre from 2014 to 2016 granted the company access, yielding 409 million data points. The results provide an unparalleled glimpse into the ebb and flow of testing in a group of people whose lives—and limbs—depend on their efforts.

The Libre is a waterproof button the size of a quarter that sits on the outside of the upper arm. It houses a tiny needle-shaped sensor that rests just under the skin, continuously measuring glucose levels in the interstitial fluid that bathes the cells.

…The company didn’t anticipate how addictive getting information would be. FreeStyle Libre users scanned their sensors an average 16 times a day; some exceeded 45. The results blew past traditional testing with blood taken from a fingertip, which for Type 1 diabetics is recommended four to eight times a day—a regimen that some find taxing.

FreeStyle Libre is approved in most countries and is currently under review by the FDA.