Can Abbott’s Freestyle Libre Help Reduce Diabetes-Related Hospitalizations?

Abbott Laboratories Freestyle Libre continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) system can help reduce diabetes-related hospitalizations; a new study shows.

Data from the Real-World Evidence of Freestyle Libre (RELIEF) were published in the Journal of Diabetes Technology & Therapeutics and presented at the 58th Annual European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) meeting.

The retrospective study of the French national health claims database shows that the 5,933 people with Type 2 diabetes who were following a basal-only regimen and using the FreeStyle Libre system had 67% fewer ADE-related hospitalizations one year after initiating the FreeStyle Libre treatment.

The data also show a 75% reduction in hospitalizations for diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), a potentially life-threatening condition when glucose levels are too high for too long and ketone levels rise to dangerous levels in the blood, and a 44% reduction in admissions for severe hypoglycemia (low glucose levels).

Further, the study showed sustained reductions in hospitalizations over a two-year period of FreeStyle Libre system use, regardless of whether the patients were under the care of a diabetes specialist or a general healthcare practitioner.

"The results of the RELIEF study highlight the value of FreeStyle Libre system in reducing serious diabetes-related events and hospitalizations among patients with Type 2 diabetes on basal-only therapy," said Professor Jean-Pierre Riveline, Centre Universitaire du Diabète et de ses Complications, Hôpital Lariboisière. "The reductions are similar to the results seen among the larger cohort of people with Type 2 diabetes who were receiving multiple daily injections, suggesting that FreeStyle Libre technology therapy should be proposed as part of individualized care for patients with Type 2 diabetes on basal-only insulin, not just people on intensive insulin therapy."

Abbott won a nod from FDA for the Freestyle Libre in 2017. It was the regulatory shot heard around the world as it was a major gamechanger for the CGM space.

In June, just ahead of the American Diabetes Associations 82nd Scientific Sessions, Abbott won a nod for the Freestyle Libre 3 – which came about two years after the company won CE mark for the device.