Strong data for Medtronic's RT glucose monitor

Data from the GuardControl Trial demonstrated that patients on USA-based Medtronic's REAL-Time Continuous Glucose Monitoring technology had better control of their blood glucose than patients using fingersticks only.

Findings from the international, 12-week, large-scale, multicenter, randomized clinical outcomes study were published in the November 27 issue of Diabetes Care.

Medtronic's device demonstrated clinically-meaningful reductions in HbA1c as early as one month, which continued for up to three months in poorly-controlled patients with type 1 diabetes. Patients who monitored their glucose levels continuously using the Medtronic system experienced a one percentage point reduction in HbA1c levels, versus a 0.4 percentage point reduction in the control group using traditional intermittent blood glucose testing (fingersticks) alone. After three months of continuous use, 26% of patients experienced an HbA1c reduction of at least two percentage points.