Abott has launched the world’s smallest glucose monitor in Australia. The device sticks to your arm, sends readings directly to your phone, and integrates into life in ways that monitors never could. For millions of Australians living with diabetes, this is a real change.
Key Highlights
- Abbott has released the FreeStyle Libre 3 Plus in Australia, a device the company calls the world’s smallest continuous glucose monitor.
- The sensor, placed on your upper arm, sends glucose readings straight to your phone, so you don’t have to prick your finger throughout the day.
- It’s about the size of a $2 coin and can be worn continuously for up to 15 days.
- The device interfaces with the mylife YpsoPump insulin pump, which allows the pump to automatically adjust insulin based on the sensor’s reading.
- Libre sensors are already listed on Australia’s National Diabetes Services Scheme for people with type 1 diabetes
Abbott Launches Glucose Monitoring Device
Abbott announces the launch of the FreeStyle Libre 3 Plus continuous glucose monitoring system in Australia. Worn on the upper arm, the device transmits glucose readings directly to a smartphone, so people with diabetes no longer have to perform routine finger-prick checks throughout the day.
Abbott says it is the world’s smallest continuous glucose monitor, some 60 mm long and about the size of a $2 coin. Wear it for up to 15 days before it needs replacing. In addition, when used with the mylife YpsoPump insulin pump, it can communicate with it and automatically instruct the pump to react to changes in glucose levels..
Why Size Matters After All for Those Who Wear These Devices Daily
Glucose monitors have been around for years, but a lot of people who use them say they are too large, conspicuous or distracting to wear comfortably in everyday life.
Alex Tempany, a Melbourne entrepreneur with type 1 diabetes for more than three decades, was one of the first dozen or so Australians to use the new insulin pump. The Libre 3 Plus is the first device, she said, to feel like what it fits around her life.
How the Device Really Works With an Insulin Pump
One of diabetes care’s bigger problems has always been getting devices to communicate with one another. You wear a glucose monitor that reads your sugar levels. An insulin pump delivers insulin. But for a long time, the two devices didn’t line up, requiring people to manually connect those dots.
The FreeStyle Libre 3 Plus sends directly to the mylife YpsoPump, so the pump can receive real-time glucose data from your sensor to adjust insulin delivery accordingly. That eliminates a lot of the daily mental labour it takes to manage type 1 diabetes.
What This Means for Australia’s Diabetes Sufferers
Living with diabetes isn’t a once-a-day activity, it’s constant. Every meal, every bit of exercise you’re getting, every change in how you feel has to be noted. Tools that lessen that mental load are important.
Combined with the fact that all Libre sensors are already subsidised in Australia under its National Diabetes Services Scheme for those living with type 1 diabetes, will enable many Australians to access this technology without paying out-of-pocket full price. And that is a big deal, because everyone who needs good diabetes tech has not always had access to it.
FAQs
- How small is its Freestyle Libre 3?
Abbott says it is the same size as an Australian $2 coin. Today, it is known as the world’s smallest continuous glucose monitor.
- How long do you wear it before having to change it?
Up to 15 days. And then you swap it out for a new one.
- Who is this device for?
It’s intended for anyone with diabetes who has to check their glucose throughout the day.
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