• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe

Drug Delivery Business

  • Clinical Trials
  • Research & Development
  • Drug-Device Combinations
  • FDA
  • Pharmaceuticals
  • Policy

How CGM tech has advanced in the 21st century

March 11, 2021 By Brian Buntz

CGMs Diabetes 21st Century Dexcom Medtronic Abbott SenseonicsThe rapid evolution of the continuous glucose monitor (CGM) has brought flexibility and convenience to diabetes control.

Continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) have transformed how many people with diabetes manage blood sugar, but attempts to monitor blood glucose have a long history.

Efforts to manage glucose kicked off in earnest when researchers began measuring glucose in urine in the mid-1800s. Scientists’ ability to do so steadily improved over the years, but urine glucose testing wasn’t commercialized until 1908, establishing a foundation for diabetes care.

Elkhart, Ind.–based Ames Company refined the process in 1945 with the introduction of Clinitest reagent tablets, which are still commercially available, albeit from Bayer. The company would introduce the first blood glucose test strip in 1965. The Dextrostix-branded strips were intended for use in doctors’ offices.

In the 1970s, Ames developed a device known as the Ames Reflectance Meter to measure reflected light from a Dextrostix strip. It was the first blood glucose meter and was intended for use in doctors’ offices.

Home blood glucose monitoring became feasible in the early 1980s with the launch of the Ames Dextrometer. This electronic glucometer allowed people with diabetes to check blood glucose in about one minute. More affordable blood glucose monitors would follow that require less blood than the Dextrometer.

While self-monitoring blood glucose technology continued to improve from the 1980s to the early 2000s, patient continuous glucose monitors didn’t become commonplace until the new millennium.

1999 was a beginning>>

Pages: Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6

Filed Under: Diabetes, Diagnostics, Drug-Device Combinations, Featured Tagged With: abbott, CGM, Dexcom, Medtronic, Senseonics

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

  • Senseonics opens $50M public offering, $25M private placement with Abbott
  • Study links Abbott CGM use to lower risk of hospitalizations due to heart complications
  • Go-Pen ApS wins FDA nod for user-filled insulin pen
  • BD files patent infringement lawsuit against Baxter over infusion pump tech
  • Tandem Diabetes Care subsidiary earns new FDA clearance for insulin infusion set

About Brian Buntz

The pharma and biotech editor of WTWH Media, Brian is a veteran journalist with more than 15 years of experience covering an array of life science topics, including clinical trials, drug discovery and development and medical devices. Before coming to WTWH, he served as content director focused on connected devices at Informa. In addition, Brian covered the medical device sector for 10 years at UBM. At Qmed, he overhauled the brand’s news coverage and helped to grow the site’s traffic volume dramatically. He had previously held managing editor roles on two of the company’s medical device technology publications. Connect with him on LinkedIn or email at bbuntz@wtwhmedia.com.

Primary Sidebar

“ddb
EXPAND YOUR KNOWLEDGE AND STAY CONNECTED
Get the latest news and trends happening now in drug delivery.

MEDTECH 100 INDEX

Medtech 100 logo
Market Summary > Current Price
The MedTech 100 is a financial index calculated using the BIG100 companies covered in Medical Design and Outsourcing.

Footer

Drug Delivery Business News Logo

MassDevice Medical NETWORK

MassDevice
DeviceTalks
Medical Tubing + Extrusion
Medical Design & Outsourcing
MedTech100 Index
Drug Discovery & Development
Pharmaceutical Processing World
Medical Design Sourcing
R&D World

DRUG DELIVERY BUSINESS NEWS

Subscribe to Drug Delivery’s E-Newsletter
Advertise with us
About
Contact us
Privacy
Listen to our Weekly Podcasts

Copyright © 2025 · WTWH Media LLC and its licensors. All rights reserved.
The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of WTWH Media.

Privacy Policy | RSS