ABBOTT PARK, Ill., Sept. 13, 2017
/PRNewswire/ -- Abbott (NYSE: ABT) today announced that
the FreeStyle® Libre system is now available for
reimbursement in the United
Kingdom (UK). The National Health Service (NHS) Business
Services Authority has approved the listing on the Drug Tariff for
the FreeStyle Libre system for people with diabetes using insulin.
This means that from Nov. 1, 2017 it
will be available for reimbursementiii via the NHS
across England and Wales, NHS Scotland, and the Health and Social
Care in Northern Ireland.
"The FreeStyle Libre system has been shown to offer
life-changing improvements for people with diabetes to help them
live healthier and fuller lives," said Neil
Harris, general manager of Abbott's UK diabetes care
business. "We are delighted with the NHS decision, and we look
forward to partnering with them to provide people with diabetes our
innovative technology to help manage their condition."
Abbott's FreeStyle Libre system is designed to change how people
with diabetes measure their glucose levels and ultimately help them
achieve better health outcomes. The system automatically reads
glucose levels through a sensor, approximately the size of a U.S.
quarter, that is worn on the back of the upper arm for up to 14
days, eliminating the need for calibration and routine finger
sticksi.
"FreeStyle Libre has allowed me to properly track my glucose –
it's finally connected the dots when it comes to managing my
diabetes," said Dave Sowerby, a
42-year old living with Type 1 diabetes from Lancashire, UK. "FreeStyle Libre more easily
allows you to track how your glucose is changing versus using the
finger stick method, as you can just scan on the go. This decision
will allow people to finally take control of their condition, and
understand it in a way they've never been able to before."
Two published clinical trialsiv,v, including one
published in The Lancet, together with real-world evidence
from more than 50,000 usersvi show that people with
diabetes who use the FreeStyle Libre system scan their glucose
levels an average of 15 times per day. The studies show that people
who scan more frequently spend less time in hypoglycemia (low blood
sugar) or hyperglycemia (high blood sugar) and demonstrate improved
glucose control overall. As such, use of the FreeStyle Libre system
leads to improved diabetes management.
With the data from the FreeStyle Libre system, people can have a
better understanding of their glucose levels through the Ambulatory
Glucose Profile (AGP), a chart generated by the software that
provides a visual snapshot of glucose levels, trends and patterns
over time. It also provides doctors with deeper insights to make
more informed treatment decisions.
Abbott's FreeStyle Libre system was introduced across
Europe in 2014, and is now
available in 41 countries and used by more than
300,000vii people with diabetes around the world. The UK
now joins a group of 17 partially or fully reimbursed countries
including France, Germany and Japan.
Diabetes in the UK
Approximately 6 percent of the UK
population, about 3.5 million people, are diagnosed with
diabetes.viii It is predicted that up to 549,000 people
in the UK have diabetes that is yet to be
diagnosed.ix
About the FreeStyle Libre System
Abbott's FreeStyle
Libre system is designed to change how people with diabetes measure
their glucose levels and ultimately help them achieve better health
outcomes. The system reads glucose levels through a sensor that can
be worn on the back of the upper arm for up to 14 days, eliminating
the need for routine finger sticksi. In addition, no
finger stick calibration is needed—a key differentiator from
current consumer continuous glucose monitoring systems. In the
U.S., the FreeStyle Libre system is currently under review by the
U.S. Food and Drug Administration.x
About Abbott
At Abbott, we're committed to helping
people live their best possible life through the power of health.
For more than 125 years, we've brought new products and
technologies to the world -- in nutrition, diagnostics, medical
devices and branded generic pharmaceuticals -- that create more
possibilities for more people at all stages of life. Today, 94,000
of us are working to help people live not just longer, but better,
in the more than 150 countries we serve.
Connect with us at www.abbott.com, on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/Abbott and on Twitter @FreeStyleDiabet,
@AbbottNews and @AbbottGlobal.
i A finger stick test using a glucometer is required
during times of rapidly changing glucose levels when interstitial
fluid glucose levels may not accurately reflect blood glucose
levels; or if hypoglycemia or impending hypoglycemia is reported by
the system; or when symptoms do not match the system
readings
ii Data on File, Abbott Diabetes Care Inc, Clinical
Report: Evaluation of the Accuracy of the Abbott Sensor-Based
Interstitial Glucose Monitoring System 2014
iii Pending local health economy approval through the UK
Clinical Commissioning Groups
iv Haak T, Hanaire H, Ajjan R, Hermanns N, Riveline JP,
Rayman G. Use of Flash Glucose-Sensing Technology for 12 months as
a Replacement for Blood Glucose Monitoring in Insulin-treated Type
2 Diabetes. Diabetes Ther. 2017 Jun;8(3):573-586. doi:
10.1007/s13300-017-0255-6. Epub 2017 Apr 11
v Bolinder J, Antuna R, Geelhoed-Duijvestijn P, Kroger
J, Weitgasser R. Novel glucose-sensing technology and hypoglycaemia
in type 1 diabetes: a multicentre, non-masked, randomised
controlled trial [published online September
12, 2016]. The Lancet. 2016; Haak, T., Hanaire, H., Ajjan,
R., Hermanns, N., Riveline, J., & Rayman, G. (2016,
February)
vi Dunn TC, Xu Y, Hayter G. "Evidence of a strong
association between frequency of flash glucose monitoring and
glucose control measures during real-world usage." Diabetes
Technology & Therapeutics, Volume 19, Supplement 1, 2017
vii Data on file, Abbott Diabetes Care, Inc
viii DiabetesUK.org,
https://www.diabetes.org.uk/Professionals/Position-statements-reports/Statistics/Diabetes-prevalence-2016/
ix Diabetes Facts and Stats: 2015 - Diabetes UK,
published 2015
x Pending FDA approval. Not available for sale in
the United States
View original content with
multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/freestyle-libre-flash-glucose-monitoring-technology-gains-reimbursement-approval-from-the-united-kingdoms-national-health-service-300518279.html
SOURCE Abbott