ABBOTT'S FREESTYLE LIBRE^® OBTAINS EXPANDED COVERAGE FOR MEDICARE BENEFICIARIES

More Medicare beneficiaries than ever before who are living with diabetes and use insulin will now be eligible for reimbursement when using Abbott's FreeStyle Libre^® portfolio – the most prescribed and affordable continuous glucose monitoring system (CGM) in the United States.

The prevalence of American adults living with diabetes continues to grow. Almost 11 million adults over the age of 65 are living with diabetes in the United States. There could be more than two million Medicare beneficiaries living with diabetes that use insulin who will now be eligible to use FreeStyle Libre CGMs to manage their condition.

Providing access to CGMs, like the FreeStyle Libre systems, for Medicare insulin users is a powerful affirmation that access to the best available, patient-centred technologies can optimize the clinical impact and safety of life-saving, longstanding therapies like insulin. The expansion also allows Medicare beneficiaries with problematic hypoglycemia – where a person's blood glucose is lower than normal and can lead to dizziness or becoming unconscious – to qualify for coverage of a FreeStyle CGM to manage their diabetes.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) just cleared a reader for the FreeStyle Libre 3 system. With the FDA's clearance of a standalone reader, Abbott is working to get the FreeStyle Libre 3 system added to Medicare's list of covered systems as soon as possible.

The FreeStyle Libre systems are prescribed by more doctors for their Medicare patients than any other CGM. Visit FreeStyle.Abbott to learn more about Abbott's Medicare coverage.