Freestyle Libre Glucose Monitoring System

Introduction

In September 2016, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the Freestyle Libre Pro Glucose Monitoring System, a continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) system for blinded professional use in clinics. In September 2017, the FDA approved a Freestyle Libre for personal use by patients (1). The system’s disposable sensor is applied to the back of a patient’s arm and can be worn for 10 days with the personal device and up to 14 days with the Pro version. Providers and patients use a handheld device to download the blood glucose information stored in the sensor. The retrospective information then can be used by providers to make therapy changes to improve patients’ glycemic control (2). Alternatively, patients can use the data in daily life to get ondemand glucose readings without having to perform a fingerstick to obtain blood for use with a glucose meter.