Dive Brief:

• Dexcom said Wednesday its G7 continuous glucose monitor (CGM) connects directly to Apple Watch in the U.S.
• The feature allows users to view real-time glucose readings on their wrist, regardless of whether they are carrying an iPhone. Dexcom said G7 is the first CGM to connect directly to Apple Watch.
• Dexcom CEO Kevin Sayer said on an April earnings call that parents can send their kids to school without an iPhone and still equip them to monitor their blood glucose using Apple Watch.

Dive Insight:

Apple Watch users could display glucose data from older Dexcom CGMs on their wrists but there were limitations. The wearable took data from the user’s iPhone, rather than directly from the CGM, and Apple’s limit on the number of times third-party apps can refresh the watch meant the screen did not always show the latest information. 

Following the update, Dexcom G7 can connect to a phone, pump and watch via Bluetooth at the same time. The change allows Apple Watch to pull data directly from Dexcom G7 in real-time. 

Dexcom said in March that the Food and Drug Administration had cleared the direct-to-watch feature. Users in the U.K. and Ireland could access the feature when Dexcom held its first-quarter earnings call in April. 

“Our users are going to be able to ... have an incredibly discrete experience with CGM on an Apple Watch only, and that will include all of our share-follow system as well,” Sayer said on the call. “Imagine a parent who wants to send their kid to school without a phone. They will be able to do everything on a watch that they used to be able to do on their phone.”

The feature is now available to users in the U.S., U.K. and Ireland. Dexcom plans to launch in additional markets later in June. 

Adding the direct-to-watch feature sets Dexcom G7 apart from Abbott’s Freestyle Libre CGM devices. The App Store lists third-party software for displaying Freestyle Libre data in Apple Watch, but Abbott is yet to create a direct connection between its CGM and the wearable.

Both companies now have FDA clearances for over-the-counter CGMs.

Correction: This article has been corrected to state that the Freestyle Libre CGM is Abbott’s device.