When we recorded a very early episode of the Life in Beta podcast back in February, we took bets on when G7 was going to arrive in Australia. Carly said April, Benjamin said May, which left me with June, thinking that there was no way I would ever win that bet. But... here we are in August, and no one is wearing one! đ
There's been some movement in the last two days though, and it looks like G7 will be available in September (with a few caveats). Here's what has happened in the last 48 hours:
Diabetes clinicians (endocrinologists, diabetes educators, GPs etc) were briefed on Tuesday night by Dexcom about the features of the G7 sensor, and how it will launch in Australia.
Yesterday, the demo kits arrived here at the Family Centre. These aren't actual sensors, but they're enough to show us the physical size and how the insertion works. Granted, we've been able to see this in videos since it launched in the US, but it feels even smaller now that we're holding it in our own hands!
Caveats at launch
While the device itself is exciting, we want to set expectations so that you're not disappointed. Here's a few things about the launch that you should know:
The G7 hasn't been added to NDSS's list of subsidised products yet, and probably won't be by the time it launches in September. You'll be able to purchase it on the AMSL store for $110 per sensor (or $330 per month). We'll let you know as soon as it's subsidised by the NDSS. When it is, we expect (but haven't had official confirmation) that you'll pay the usual $32.50 per month when you order it at the pharmacy.
The G7 will only be compatible with the Tandem tslim:x2 pump at launch. Assumably it will be available to Ypsomed/CamAPS users at some point, but we don't know when. We've heard no details yet about Omnipod 5 integration, but they do work together in the US, so we assume it will happen at some point.
If you're already using G6, you won't technically need an appointment with your diabetes educator to switch over, but you will need them to update NDSS to say that you're switching to G7. In most cases, Family Centre clinicians can do this for you with an email appointment (much cheaper than an in-person consult). We'll provide more details once G7 has NDSS approval. You don't need these forms signed if you're paying full price through the AMSL website.
If you haven't heard much about G7 yet, here's the main differences between G6 and G7, and why we're so excited:
G7 is 60% smaller than G6.
G7 has a warm-up time of just 30 minutes (G6 is 2 hours). Furthermore, the 30 minutes starts from when the sensor is fired into the skin. This means that you can put a new sensor in 30 minutes (or longer) before your old sensor expires, then just tell your phone or pump to move to the new sensor when the old one expires - zero downtime!
Sensor wear-time is still 10 days, but the G7 has a 12-hour grace period on top of that, meaning that if your sensor expires at 1am, it will keep working until you find a more convenient time to change it the next morning.
With âsilent mode,â a user can silence all alerts for up to six hours. Handy for when you're in the cinema, or on stage and don't want the alarms blaring!
In âvibrate mode", users will get a vibration alert, with the exception of a sensor failure and urgent low, will make a sound if the first vibration isn't acknowledged.
MARD stands for 'mean absolute relative difference'. Basically it's a measure of how accurate the CGM is to your actual blood glucose level. The lower the number, the better. The G6 has a MARD of 9%; the G7 is 8.2%.
With the alerts and the lack of downtime alone, Dexcom have done a great job of listening to user feedback. These features are going to make a meaningful difference to the lives of people with type 1 every day.
We will absolutely host an event here at the Centre where you can ask questions, have a look at the product up close, and talk to people who have used it. We'll post details on our website soon, and you can follow us on Facebook or Instagram to be notified when registrations are open. On the surface, these events are about managing physical health, but what people always tell us they love most is the opportunity to talk to other people with type 1 ("they just get it!"). It's validating and it makes diabetes feel a bit smaller in their lives.
Wherever you are in Australia, if you have questions about Dexcom G7, give us a call. We're always up for a chat about anything type 1.
Bring on September! đđ» Or rather... NDSS approval.
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