Abbott (NYSE: ABT) announced today the FreeStyle LibreLink app is now available in Europe for use with compatible smartphones(2) (both iPhone and Android). People with diabetes living in Europe and using the FreeStyle® Libre system(3) are now able to access glucose data directly from their smartphones, eliminating the need to carry the separate FreeStyle Libre reader(4) (a handheld device used to scan the FreeStyle Libre sensor to get a glucose result). Since 2015 the app offering for the FreeStyle Libre system was only available for Android users but now the FreeStyle LibreLink app is also compatible with iPhone.
Utilizing their phone's near-field communication (NFC), the FreeStyle LibreLink app enables users to hold their smartphone near their FreeStyle Libre sensor to capture and view their real-time glucose levels, their eight-hour glucose history, and how their glucose is currently changing; and easily add notes to track food, insulin use, medication and exercise.
"We're committed to bringing life-changing technology and tools to liberate people from the many hassles of diabetes management," said Jared Watkin, senior vice president, Diabetes Care, Abbott. "The FreeStyle LibreLink app is a digital health tool that integrates glucose data directly on a smartphone so everything is all in one place. This is another step forward in making glucose monitoring seamlessly fit into a patient's daily lifestyle - helping them live a fuller, healthier life."
Customers using the FreeStyle LibreLink app will have access to several updates and new features in comparison to the FreeStyle Libre reader4, including: a larger, high-resolution display, text-to-speech capabilities for glucose readings (when enabled), the ability to log smaller doses of insulin (0.1 unit versus 0.5 units), and support for 26 languages. While the app can replace the reader4, the two can also be used in combination with each other(3).
FreeStyle LibreLink users also have the option to share their information with their healthcare professional and caregivers through LibreView and LibreLinkUp, other digital health tools that are also part of the FreeStyle Libre platform:
- LibreView(5) is a secure, cloud-based diabetes management system that enables the patient to share their glucose insights with their healthcare provider.
- LibreLinkUp6 is an app that enables caregivers of people living with diabetes in Europe to remotely monitor their loved ones' glucose readings.
Abbott's FreeStyle LibreLink app is available free of charge for both iPhone and Android, initially in 12 European countries including Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Netherlands, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
Abbott is aiming to provide a mobile app solution for FreeStyle Libre users outside of Europe, based on in-country regulatory approvals.
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(7,8). 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 pricks(9). In addition, no finger prick calibration is needed - a key differentiator from current continuous glucose monitoring systems.
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, 99,000 of us are working to help people live not just longer, but better, in the more than 150 countries we serve.
1. Use of the FreeStyle LibreLink app requires registration with LibreView, a service provided by Abbott and Newyu, Inc.
2. The FreeStyle LibreLink app is compatible with NFC enabled phones running Android OS 5.0 or higher and with iPhone 7 and later running iOS 11 and later
3. The FreeStyle Libre sensor communicates with the FreeStyle Libre reader that started it or the FreeStyle LibreLink app that started it. A sensor started by the FreeStyle Libre reader will also communicate with the FreeStyle LibreLink app, provided that the FreeStyle LibreLink app is used to scan the sensor within an hour of the sensor starting up
4. LibreView data, a product of NewYu, can be viewed in the Safari Browser on Mac OS X Mountain Lion or higher computers and on iOS 6 or later mobile devices. Currently, uploading of glucose data is only supported on Windows-based computers. Minimum system requirements are Windows Vista with IE10 or the latest versions of Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox, running on a 550MHz Pentium III, 512MB DRAM, 2G Hard Drive, USB 2.0, LCD Screen with resolution of 1024x768
5. LibreView data, a product of NewYu, can be viewed in the Safari Browser on Mac OS X Mountain Lion or higher computers and on iOS 6 or later mobile devices. Currently, uploading of glucose data is only supported on Windows-based computers. Minimum system requirements are Windows Vista with IE10 or the latest versions of Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox, running on a 550MHz Pentium III, 512MB DRAM, 2G Hard Drive, USB 2.0, LCD Screen with resolution of 1024x768
7. Bolinder, Jan, et al. Novel glucose-sensing technology and hypoglycemia in type 1 diabetes: a multicentre, non-masked, randomised controlled trial. The Lancet 388.10057 (2016): 2254-2263
8. Haak, Thomas, et al. Flash glucose-sensing technology as a replacement for blood glucose monitoring for the management of insulin-treated type 2 diabetes: a multicenter, open-label randomized controlled trial. Diabetes Therapy 8.1 (2017): 55-73
9. A fingerstick 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