Up to a quarter of type 1 diabetes patients in England should have access to the Freestyle Libre, a flash glucose monitor that allows diabetics to check their blood sugar without the need for finger pricks. But a recent investigation by the BMJ has concluded that, in reality, just 3 to 5 percent of eligible patients have access to the potentially life-changing technology.
The Freestyle Libre was made available last November by the NHS, the BBC reported Nov. 8. But, through Freedom of Information requests, the BMJ found that a quarter of local NHS groups in England don’t recommend the monitors, and while some clinical commissioning groups have made the device available to hundreds of patients, other CCGs have ignored it altogether.
According to the BBC, health officials have cited cost as the reason so many CCGs are ignoring NHS guidance, claiming the “NHS does not have unlimited resources.”
In U.S. dollars, a Freestyle Libre starter pack rings up at around $200, with $75 sensors that need replacing every two weeks. One 24-year-old patient involved in a Freestyle Libre trial found success with the device, but wasn’t able to acquire one through her local health system.
Victoria Hill now pays out-of-pocket for the device.
“It is the most frustrating thing in the world that in Gloucester, which is five miles down the road, they are getting it on prescription and I’m not,” she told the BBC. “Why are they more deserving than me? I am able to afford this, but there are people out there who can’t and they are really missing out.”
Read more from the BBC at the link below:
After graduating from Indiana University-Bloomington with a bachelor’s in journalism, Anicka joined TriMed’s Chicago team in 2017 covering cardiology. Close to her heart is long-form journalism, Pilot G-2 pens, dark chocolate and her dog Harper Lee.