In this week’s issue of The Savvy Diabetic:
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- FDA OKs Abbott’s Libre Duo 10 Day dual glucose-ketone monitor
- FDA Cleared First Dual Glucose + Ketone Sensor, with Dr. David Ahn
- NIH Research Project Grant Support Heard From You Re Proposed Cap
- How T1D Exchange is Transforming Type 1 Diabetes Care and Research
- What is the acceptable failure rate for a Dexcom G7 medical device?
- Dexcom G7 Accuracy Issues: FDA Recalls, Complaints & Need to Know
- ‘It’s Life-Threatening’—Dexcom G7 Users: CGMs Is Failing Them
- Pancreatic islets: discoveries for innovative treatments of diabetes?
- Inpatient Use of CGMs: Insights-Patient Safety Event Reports
- Seen, Hear, Supported: Coping with Emotional Burden of T1D
- McMaster students build wearable tech to help kids
- A Flu Shot May Also Protect Your Heart
News from T1Dto100
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- Intrinsic Capacity: Most Important Longevity Term You’ve Probably Never Heard Of
- TCOYD Video: LADA: Why So Many Adults Are Misdiagnosed With Type 2 Diabetes
- Interview: An Endo’s View: From the Other Side of the Examination Table
- Calcium heart scans sharpen risk estimates mainly for borderline-risk adults
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FDA approves Abbott’s Libre Duo 10 Day dual glucose-ketone monitor by Salong Debbarma for MedicalDevice-Network.com, 26 August 2026.
Abbott has received authorization from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its Libre Duo 10 Day system, described as the world’s first device to monitor both glucose and ketone levels for diabetic patients. The company plans to introduce the device in the US later this year.
The Libre Duo 10 Day is a bio-wearable designed to track glucose in real time and monitor for rising ketone levels that can lead to diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), a serious complication for individuals with diabetes. The system aims to address challenges in ketone monitoring by offering background measurement, reducing the burden on users.
According to Abbott, it is the first system to meet the agency’s standards for integrated continuous glucose monitoring (iCGM) and integrated continuous glucose and ketone monitoring (iCGK), which set criteria for ongoing ketone measurement in the US. The Libre Duo 10 Day sensor delivers up to ten days of continuous monitoring, providing ongoing readings instead of the single-point measurements typical of standard blood or urine ketone tests.
Abbott diabetes care business executive vice president Chris Scoggins said: “If glucose is the speedometer, ketones are like the check engine light, providing an alert that something may need attention. “Libre Duo 10 Day brings both glucose and ketone levels together in a single dashboard, providing a more complete picture to help people with diabetes make more informed decisions.”
The system is intended for people with diabetes aged two years and older who use insulin or other glucose-lowering medications, such as sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2s). The device will integrate with Abbott’s latest-generation Libre app, LibreView for healthcare providers, and LibreLinkUp for caregivers. The company is also working with several pump manufacturers to support compatibility with automated insulin delivery systems, including planned integrations with Beta Bionics, Insulet, MiniMed, Sequel Med Tech, and Tandem.
Read more: FDA approves Abbott’s Libre Duo 10 Day dual glucose-ketone monitor
The FDA Just Cleared the World’s First Dual Glucose + Ketone Sensor, by Dr. David Ahn @DiabetesDoc, 26 August 2026.
The FDA just cleared the world’s first dual glucose + ketone sensor. The FreeStyle Libre Duo 10 Day measures both every minute — a potential game-changer for DKA. But is continuous ketone sensing a can’t-live-without, or an answer to a question no one’s asking? Who I think it’s for (pump users, parents of T1D kids, SGLT-2 users) + the honest counterpoint
Are you excited or not sold? Feel free to share your thoughts/concerns in COMMENTS.
What We Heard From You Regarding the Proposed Cap on Simultaneous NIH Research Project Grant Support, and Our Next Steps by Grants.NIH.gov, 19 August 2026.
We sought your feedback on a proposed approach to cap the number of Research Project Grants (RPG) a researcher can be principal investigator on simultaneously (NOT-OD-26-086). The proposal explored whether limits on simultaneous RPG support could contribute to a more balanced research portfolio, advancing stewardship, workforce sustainability, and the goals of the NIH Unified Funding Strategy. Here, we share some high-level outcomes from your thoughtful and helpful comments, which will inform our next steps.
NIH received nearly 3,300 responses before the comment period closed. An unedited, compiled list of all responses is available as a CSV download (XLSX. 4.8 MB). A few quick points on our process to review comments:
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- Requests for Information are not scientific surveys and only reflect the opinions of the individuals or organizations that chose to respond
- Respondents were not required to provide an affiliation or other form of self-identification, although some did
- The responses exclude 16 records that were blank or could not be processed
- Each submission (that could be processed) was reviewed as a whole and categorized by its overall position on the proposal. Percentages were then calculated based on the number of submissions assigned to each opinion category
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Read more: What We Heard From You
At the American Diabetes Association’s 86th Scientific Sessions, T1D Exchange CEO Dave Walton and VP of Real-World Evidence & Research Jaime Lucove sat down to discuss the latest advances in diabetes research, quality improvement, real-world evidence, and the power of community partnerships. Watch the conversation to learn how T1D Exchange is helping turn data, research, and lived experience into better outcomes for people living with type 1 diabetes.
What is the acceptable failure rate for a Dexcom G7 medical device? shared on FB by David Ticknor, 28 August 2026.
Dexcom G7 Accuracy Issues: FDA Recalls, Complaints & What Users Need to Know by Wisner Baum on WisnerBaum.com, 3 March 2026:
Dexcom marketed the G7 as one of the most accurate glucose monitoring (CGM) systems. It has been touted as an “easier way to manage diabetes.” The manufacturer promises “no fingersticks” and “real-time glucose numbers.”
Reports and regulatory actions have cast doubt on the validity of these marketing claims. The attorneys at Wisner Baum understand the importance of reviewing complaints associated with the Dexcom G7, FDA recalls of the device, adverse event reports, and legal actions taken by users. As details of potential issues with the Dexcom G7 continue to emerge, patients and healthcare providers are encouraged to review the information to determine whether the device has caused any adverse health effects or is safe for continued use. Individuals who suffered harm from the device may be eligible to pursue legal claims against the manufacturer and are encouraged to seek legal counsel.
Where the Dexcom G7 Falls Short: Issues with the Dexcom G7 have raised questions about the validity of the manufacturer’s marketing claims.
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- Accuracy: Dexcom repeatedly marketed the G7 as the “most accurate” CGM cleared by the FDA, despite an independent, peer-reviewed comparative study reporting a lower MARD for Abbott’s FreeStyle Libre 3.
- Experience: Dexcom promised a “seamless experience” for users, but reports show that there have been a number of sensor failures, adhesive problems, and connectivity issues.
- Fingersticks: One of the most commonly repeated claims is that the G7 requires “no fingersticks.” However, fingersticks are required for diabetes treatment decisions if “symptoms or expectations do not match readings.”
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Dexcom G7 complaints allege that issues with the device have caused serious harm, including hospitalizations and death. Plaintiffs allege that the device does not provide accurate readings, despite ads and marketing to the contrary.
Implications for Patients and Healthcare Providers: It is alleged that marketing claims made by Dexcom about its G7 device do not match real-world performance. Reports from patients, providers, and regulators indicate that device defects led to missed alerts and inaccurate glucose readings. These inaccurate readings may have resulted in improper dosing decisions and potentially caused serious health conditions such as hyper- or hypoglycemia.
Legal and Regulatory Developments Around the Dexcom G7: Not only has the device been the subject of two Class I recalls by the FDA, but concerns about Dexcom G7 failed sensors and other issues have led to a class-action lawsuit. The lawsuit alleges that Dexcom’s continuous glucose monitoring systems (G6 and G7) contain an unauthorized material change, making them adulterated. The adulterated devices are reportedly less accurate after alteration following FDA approval. The Dexcom class action lawsuit is ongoing.
Read more: Dexcom G7 Accuracy Issues: FDA Recalls, Complaints & Need to Know
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‘It’s Life-Threatening’—Dexcom G7 Users Say Glucose Monitor Is Failing Them by Amanda Castro for Newsweek.com, 27 October 2026.
Over the past year, patients and caregivers have reported inconsistencies with the G7’s readings—sharp highs when blood sugar is actually stable, or plummeting lows that don’t match fingerstick tests. These discrepancies have led to confusion, fear, and, in some cases, physical danger. And while many say Dexcom is aware of the issue, users describe the company’s response as limited primarily to silence, apologies, and sporadic replacements.
Because of similar issues and complaints, longtime Dexcom user Richard Moore began compiling reports from the FDA database and social media. He says he noticed a striking pattern: a 70 percent failure rate among the users he surveyed.
They’re constantly making updates and tweaks to parts of the software and the battery,” he told Newsweek. “But I just wish they’d come out and say, ‘Look, this is complicated technology — it’s going to fail sometimes. Here’s what we’ll do to take care of you when it does.”
Newsweek followed up with Dexcom via email for further comment on such inaccuracies, but did not receive a response by the time of publication.
Read more: ‘It’s Life-Threatening’—Dexcom G7 Users Say GGM Failing Them
Pancreatic islets: new discoveries for innovative treatments of diabetes? reported by Raphael Scharfmann & Arnaud Zaldumbide for Diabetolgia.com, 27 February 2026.
Pancreatic beta cells are dedicated factories in the production, storage and secretion of impressive amounts of insulin. In the human pancreas, beta cells are found in clusters known as islets of Langerhans which vary in cell quantity and endocrine cell types, including glucagon-producing alpha cells and somatostatin-producing delta cells. Major progress has been made in recent years in understanding beta cell physiology and pathology, with a particular focus on the mechanisms of beta cell destruction in type 1 diabetes and potential approaches for restoring beta cell function. In this review, we have selected recent examples that highlight the progress made in understanding human islets and beta cell biology.
Specifically, we
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- concentrated on new discoveries in beta cells, both within and outside of the islets of Langerhans;
- evaluated whether more understanding of basic beta cell biology is needed;
- discussed whether more tools are needed to provide answers to our key questions; as an example, we highlighted the progress made in the development of human beta cell lines and in the imaging tools for studying human beta cells;
- questioned why there is still a gap in knowledge regarding beta cell destruction in type 1 diabetes, despite hundreds of thousands of published studies.
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We conclude with our vision of beta and islet cell biology.
Read more: Pancreatic islets: discoveries for innovative treatments of diabetes?
Inpatient Use of Continuous Glucose Monitors: Insights From Pennsylvania Patient Safety Event Reports by Christine E. Sanchez, Myungsun Ro, Rebwecca Jones for PatientSafetyJournal.com, 7 August 2026.
Introduction: Inpatient use of continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) has historically been prohibited. Increased outpatient use, critical needs during the COVID-19 pandemic, and growing interest in allowing use of CGMs to manage blood glucose levels for hospitalized patients have prompted consideration of allowing inpatient use of these devices to manage blood glucose levels.
Conclusion: Data from this study showed that inpatient CGM use was associated with both increased and reduced risk of patient harm. Clear policies and consistent patient-provider communication may help to minimize these risks and enhance patient benefit.
Plain Language Summary: Many people with Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes use continuous glucose monitors (CGMs). These small wearable devices help track blood sugar levels throughout the day. Even though people commonly use continuous glucose monitors at home, hospitals have been slower to allow their use. This is due to uncertainty concerning their safety and accuracy in a clinical setting, versus the standard procedure of finger-stick blood testing several times a day. However, recent research, and the Food and Drug Administration’s temporary approval of in-hospital CGM use during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, suggest that when used correctly, CGMs can be a reliable alternative to finger-stick tests, as well as offer additional benefits in monitoring and maintaining glucose levels of inpatients.
A recent review by Patient Safety Authority research scientists discovered that inpatient CGM use can be associated with both an increased and decreased risk of harm. Researchers found that when CGMs increased risk of harm, issues such as off-policy blood glucose monitoring, missing documentation, and unauthorized insulin administration occurred. However, the data representing a decreased risk of harm associated with CGM use highlights the potential for CGMs to be useful tools during a hospital stay. As CGM usage increases due to patient preferences and shifting hospital policies, facilities should consider the strategies outlined in this article and establish clear, consistent procedures and collaborative communication between patients and providers to foster safe, effective CGM use.
Read more: Inpatient Use of Continuous Glucose Monitors
Seen, Heard and Supported: Coping with the Emotional Burden of Type 1 Diabetes, by Musings at diaTribe.org, scheduled for Wednesday, 2 September 2026.
REGISTER: https://us06web.zoom.us/…/register/84sXvHSyRCu5JHZkdqChUA
BTW, just hope you enjoy one of my favorite memes!!!McMaster students build wearable tech to help kids with Type 1 diabetes play more freely by Cheryl Crocker for McMaster.ca, 25 August 2026.
These entrepreneurs are developing an alert bracelet to help children with Type 1 diabetes stay connected to critical glucose alerts during sports and active play. Last fall, Keily Blum, Ally Moran and Emma Petschulat arrived at McMaster University’s Master of Biomedical Innovation (MBI) program with a shared curiosity in healthcare and entrepreneurship. The students began the program by shadowing healthcare teams in local hospitals to identify areas of unmet need. Combined with courses in business strategy and innovation, the experience helped the team spot an opportunity: a gap in glucose-monitoring technology for children with Type 1 diabetes. Less than a year later, they founded SOLAS Innovations Inc., secured $25,000 through McMaster seed-funding opportunities, and, this month, won the MBI’s final pitch competition.
For active children at recess, swimming lessons or soccer practice, keeping a phone close by can be difficult. The challenge was personal for Moran. Last fall, a young family friend had recently been diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, and she saw how difficult it could be for families to manage the condition, particularly in the early days.
The team began to explore whether children could receive important alerts without having to keep a phone within reach. They started developing a discreet, screen-free bracelet that connects with a continuous glucose monitor and delivers customizable light and vibration alerts on a child’s wrist. While Petschula and Blum continued stakeholder interviews and market research, Moran began building. With a 3D printer, circuit boards, silicone moulds and YouTube tutorials, she assembled an early prototype in her basement
The moment the bracelet lit up for the first time, the team knew they had something special. “Once I had the first one, I thought, ‘Okay, I think we could actually build this,’” Moran says. This fall, Moran will continue graduate studies at McMaster while Blum and Petschulat begin their careers working in industry. But SOLAS remains a central focus for all three founders. Their next target is a commercial launch early next year. Longer term, the founders hope to partner with major medical technology companies so the bracelet can become a complementary option for families already using continuous glucose-monitoring technology.
Read more: McMaster students build wearable tech
A Flu Shot May Also Protect Your Heart by Anna Brooks for diaTribe.org, 25 August 2026.
People with diabetes are at higher risk of serious complications from the flu, making flu shots a part of regular diabetes care. In a large review of 276,888 health records that included roughly 25% of people with diabetes, those who received a flu shot had a 20% lower risk of atrial fibrillation, a heart rhythm disorder that can be serious. Those who were vaccinated also had lower risks of heart attack, new heart failure, hospitalization for heart problems, and death.
WHY IT MATTERS: Flu shots are recommended yearly for most people with diabetes to reduce the chance of serious illness, which can also make blood sugar harder to manage. Getting flu shots early in September or October is a good idea to help build up immunity before flu season peaks in the winter months. Making sure your flu shot is current is especially important for those with diabetes and heart disease or other heart risk factors.
Read more: Flu vaccination, atrial fibrillation, and cardiovascular outcomes
News from T1Dto100
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- Intrinsic Capacity: Most Important Longevity Term You’ve Probably Never Heard Of
The term was first formally definited in 2015 by the World Health Organization (WHO) as part of their healthy aging initiative in an effort to move health care professionals towards focusing on aging adults’ functional abilities rather than their diseases.
The score is a composite of five different areas: cognition, locomotion (strength and mobility), sensory capacity (vision and hearing), psychological well-being and vitality (overall energy levels and resilience to physical stressors). Some of these tests are already used to evaluate health in older adults, including grip strength and walking speed.
Changes in capacity are key to determining interventions for a better quality and long-term life, experts say. Currently this measure applies best to aging adults as younger, healthier people get perfect or almost-perfect scores, but experts are trying to determine metrics that could be useful at every age.
Intrinsic capacity is currently being studied in multiple clinical trials across the US and research is still preliminary. There are not any pharmaceuticals to improve this metric for a variety of reasons, including longevity of required tests to determine changes in lifespan outcomes. And the FDA doesn’t consider aging a disease, so they don’t regulate drugs that impact the aging process in this way. There is some progress, however. In 2022, the WHO added “aging associated decline in intrinsic capacity” to its 11th edition of the International Classification of Diseases list, even though most countries (including the US) use a previous iteration of that list.
Read more: Intrinsic Capacity: The Most Important Longevity Term
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- LADA: Why So Many Adults Are Misdiagnosed With Type 2 Diabetes
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- Interview: An Endo’s View: From the Other Side of the Examination Table
I conducted the interview with my own endocrinologist, Dr. David Lam. Our first visit lasted 90 minutes. We talked about diabetes only the last half hour.
Lam is smart, tech savvy and responsive. As you might have guessed, he is also compassionate, prizes partnership, and sees me as a person, not merely a condition. My husband was impressed when Dr. Lam stayed in text-touch with me, switching me from Lantus to Tresiba, over a weekend.
I wanted to understand how he sees our challenges, aging with T1D and the ones he faces every day, working with our industrialized health care system. He didn’t hesitate when I asked for this interview, so here’s an endocrinologist’s view from the other side of the examination table.
Read more: An Endo’s View: From the Other Side of the Examination Table
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- Calcium heart scans sharpen risk estimates mainly for borderline-risk adults by Gaby Clark for MedicalXpress.com, 26 August 2026.
After following more than 6,000 adults for 10 years, Northwestern scientists found that, overall, the calcium scans added relatively little to risk prediction from PREVENT, the American Heart Association’s flagship risk calculator.
PREVENT relies on routine metrics (such as blood pressure, cholesterol, age and sex) to estimate a person’s risk of heart disease within the next 10 or 30 years. Calcium tests are CT scans that detect calcium-containing plaque in the heart’s arteries. The scans give patients a calcium score. The higher it is, the greater the risk of future heart disease.
“Coronary artery calcium scans are becoming more widely available and less expensive,” said study senior author Dr. Nilay Shah, assistant professor of medicine in the division of cardiology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. “Our findings suggest that not everyone necessarily needs or would benefit from a coronary artery calcium scan for the purpose of predicting risk of heart attack and stroke. Using calcium scans in people who are at high risk is likely to result in unnecessary testing because these individuals are recommended to start a statin regardless of what the calcium scan shows.”
Why it matters: About 10% of U.S. adults ages 30–79 have cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death in the nation. However, a large proportion of heart events are preventable, Shah said. “The findings help us understand how best to use the available tools to estimate someone’s risk of a heart attack or stroke. That provides more precise guidance for who is most likely to benefit from using a statin to help prevent heart disease,” Shah said. Shah added that the findings reinforce the clinical value of the relatively new PREVENT calculator, which performed well on its own in predicting cardiovascular risk.
The study will be published Aug. 26 in JAMA.
Read more: Calcium heart scans on risk estimates mainly for borderline-risk adults
