I am Christel from Diabetes Strong and in this video, I’ll be giving you the download
on the Freestyle Libre 3. Libre 3 is the newest continuous glucose monitor or CGM
from Abbott and it's actually already available in some countries.
So let's talk a little bit about how the Libre 3 is different from the Libre 14-days
and the Libre 2, which are the two other Libre sensors that are currently available.
First of all the Libre 3 is way smaller than the other sensors, so let me show you.
This is a Libre 2 or Libre 14-days and the Libre 3 is about the size of
two stacked U.S. pennies, these are two U.S pennies,
so you can see the size difference here, this is major see the thickness.
So this is me trying to show you but let's look at an official comparison.
I also want to show you what it looks like next to the Dexcom G6, so I’m wearing one
right now here on my upper arm and see these are the two pennies,
look at that so we put that over
or over here that's basically the end of the sensor again tiny.
Compared to the 14-day and the Libre 2 there are a lot of similarities,
so the Libre is still round, it still lasts 14 days on the body,
the warm-up period is going to continue to be 60 minutes, and the accuracy
is much like the Libre 2, as well as it has the optional alarms and alerts that the
Libre 2 has, but it's not just the size that sets the Libre 3 apart
from the current sensors the Libre 3 actually has continuous real-time glucose readings
sent directly to your phone every minute
so that means no more scanning, it will also have a one-piece applicator so
less waste. So the overall reduction in waste volume
will mean that this system is going to be more environmentally sustainable.
The guys at Abbott are promising us a 41% reduction in plastic waste as well as
a 43% reduction in paper waste compared to the current Libre systems,
to me that's huge. I’ve also seen mentioned that the Libre 3 might receive a true iCGM
approval from the FDA that would mean that it would be able to be integrated with
the hybrid closed-loop systems such as the Tandem and the Omnipod Horizon.
Libre 3 received CE mark in September 2020
and it was approved for people living with diabetes 4 years and up
and it's supposedly available in certain European countries,
however, I’ve only been able to confirm that it is commercially available in Germany
as of today, so if you have any information about other countries where you
can actually buy the Libre 3 today please leave me a comment down below.
It is unclear when the Libre 3 will receive FDA approval
so they can be launched here in the U.S.
I did find some analysts however who estimated that realistically
it probably won't be until the fall of 2022 and they based that on historical data
that shows there's usually about two years of gap between the CE mark
and the FDA approval for the Libre systems
but the good news is that Abbott has already finalized an accuracy study
here in the U.S. so hopefully that will help pave the way.
The price is promised to be the same as the 14-day and the Libre 2 sensors
so that's great and as of the end of 2020 Abbott had already secured partial or full
reimbursement for this system in 37 countries
and that includes Germany, France, the UK, the U.S as well as Japan.
I’m excited to see another CGM option come to market
and it's really cool to see how the systems are becoming smaller and more
environmentally friendly I would like to see them become more
accurate though especially if the end goal is to have them as an integrated part of the
hybrid closed-loop systems.
That was an overview of the Freestyle Libre 3 system, what do you think,
are you excited about it? I kind of am, I think it's kind of cool,
and if you're outside the U.S.
and have tried it, how did you like it? I hope you found this video interesting,
if you did, if you liked it please give it a like below and leave me a comment,
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Thank you so much for watching