Continuous glucose monitoring and U.S. market strategy

Abstract

There are about 25M (million) diabetics in the US alone, of which only 5-10% of the type 1 diabetics (1M) market has been penetrated with continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) devices. This thesis will provide an overview of the glucose monitoring, then focus on who the key market players for CGM are. Ensuing sections will explore product offerings, understanding what features patients care for and what critical limitations exist in design. It will also tackle why there hasn't been a more widespread adoption of CGM systems considering the technology has been on the market for a decade now. It will dive into a variety of potential market drivers, such as, first mover's advantage, pricing, product attributes and reimbursement coverage. It will emphasize the two US leaders, Medtronic and Dexcom and analyze the companies by comparing their revenue and underlying strategies. Finally the thesis will cover emerging technologies that could pose a market threat to incumbents.