Abbott Laboratories launched its newest continuous glucose monitor in the U.S. on Thursday. The biosensor named Lingo is the first-ever targeted for people without diabetes.
The move follows the launch of Dexcom's newest CGM, Stelo, last week. Stelo is targeted to people with prediabetes and type 2 diabetes who don't use insulin. But it's available over the counter, so people without diabetes will undoubtedly use it. CGMs are also popular for people taking weight-loss medications.
Olivier Ropars, divisional vice president of Abbott's Lingo business, says the company's move into metabolic health tracking is "genuinely transformative." Body-worn continuous glucose monitors, or CGMs, have long been a mainstay in tracking glucose for people with diabetes. But Lingo is for non-diabetics.
"It means a revolution in health overall," Ropars told Investor's Business Daily. "A strong decline in chronic disease over time. A better allocation of resources in the health care system. What we're talking about here is by giving these tools to the general population. We are finally investing in true health care — caring and managing health, not sick care."
On today's stock market, Abbott stock slid 1.1% to close at 113.10. Dexcom stock matched that fall and closed at 69.05.
Abbott Laboratories Moves Into Metabolic Health
The Lingo device is based on the same technology that backs Abbott Laboratories' Freestyle Libre, its continuous glucose monitor for people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes. The company estimates more than 6 million people wear a Libre globally.
But Lingo was designed differently. People without diabetes don't need to integrate the CGM with an insulin pump. Their glucose range is different and their bodies respond to blood sugar spikes and dips differently.
"So, that requires a very different product," Ropars said.
The Lingo app helps people keep tabs on their glucose in real time. But perhaps more importantly, it helps people make the correlation between their activities — food, exercise, sleep and stress — and their blood sugar levels over time. Doing so can help people make healthier choices and, potentially, reverse chronic conditions like prediabetes and type 2 diabetes.
"Being able to manage your glucose is important to managing chronic disease," Ropars said. "This is great news. We can control it. We can do something about it."
Abbott Stock Is Forming A New Base
Abbott Laboratories' Lingo will be available online. A single sensor costs $49, a two-pack goes for $89 and a six-pack will cost $249. Each sensor is good for 14 days.
This lines up with Dexcom's Stelo, which lasts for 15 days. Dexcom sells Stelo in a two-pack for $99 or with a subscription for $89 a month.
BTIG analyst Marie Thibault notes the Lingo app is only available to iPhone users. The company estimates a total addressable market of 500 million patients, split roughly even between the U.S. and abroad.
Thibault noted the quick turnaround time for orders of Dexcom's Stelo. She received that CGM a day after ordering it. The Lingo device is expected to ship within five to seven business days, though the estimated delivery time is in three days, she said in a report.
Further, the Lingo app asks more detailed questions about the user, she said.
"We have to wait to receive the biosensor before getting into the full app experience, but based on what we have seen online, it appears that the app may offer a couple more engagement opportunities than what we are experiencing so far with Stelo," she said.
Thibault kept her buy rating and 135 price target on Abbott stock. Shares are currently forming a saucer base with a buy point at 121.64, according to IBD MarketSurge charts.
Follow Allison Gatlin on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, at @IBD_AGatlin.
