#1867 Dexcom CEO and CTO on G7, G8, and What’s Changing
Dexcom CEO Jake Leach and CTO Peter Simpson discuss G7 sensor performance, gooseneck fixes, adhesive improvements, customer support, replacement policies, and self-calibrating G8 technology shaping diabetes care at scale forward.
Key Takeaways
- Dexcom formed a Customer Advisory Council to gather direct feedback on user experiences and improve communication.
- The "goosenecking" sensor deployment issue was identified and heavily minimized, with further improvements coming soon.
- Day one sensor inaccuracies are often caused by the body's natural wound-healing response creating temporary interference.
- Dexcom is revamping its support systems and replacement policies to reduce user friction while preventing open-market resale fraud.
- The upcoming Dexcom G8 sensor will feature multi-analyte capabilities and a proprietary self-adjusting algorithm to reduce variability.
Resources Mentioned
Welcome & Introductions
Scott BennerWelcome back, everybody. (0:07) Today, I'm speaking with Jake Leach, president and CEO of Dexcom. (0:12) Jake is joined today by Peter Simpson. He is the executive vice president and chief technology officer. (0:18) Jake, Peter, and I are talking about the goosenecking issue with g seven, different ideas around their support and replacement policies.
Scott BennerWe'll talk a bit about accuracy around g seven, a little bit about fifteen days, some adhesive stuff, and I even sneak in a question at the end about the g eight sensor coming up sometime in the future, but probably not as far away as you think. (0:41) While you're listening, please remember that nothing you hear on the juice box podcast should be considered advice medical or otherwise. (0:47) Always consult a physician before making any changes to your health care plan or becoming bold with insulin. (0:53) And if you're new to the podcast, check me out at juiceboxpodcast.com. (0:58) We have content for everybody living with type one diabetes, adults and caregivers alike, juiceboxpodcast.com.
Scott BennerAre you newly diagnosed? (1:06) Check out the bold beginnings series. (1:09) And if you're working on making things better for yourself, check out the diabetes pro tip series. (1:14) There's that and much, much more available at juiceboxpodcast.com. (1:18) Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get audio.
Jake LeachHey, Scott. (1:26) Jake Leach. (1:27) Pleasure to be here. (1:28) I'm the president and CEO of Dexcom.
Scott BennerJake, I appreciate you coming back. (1:31) You brought somebody with you today. (1:32) Who is this?
Jake LeachThis is Peter Simpson. (1:35) I'll let him introduce himself. (1:36) But one thing I'll tell you is that so Peter and I have been working together at DexCom since the day I joined, and he is one of the the founders of our technology, an amazing person, but also an incredible scientist and engineer. (1:51) And really, a lot of the the advancements you've seen, he he has led almost all of them when it comes to sensor performance.
Scott BennerOh, wow. (1:58) Well, it's nice to meet you, Peter. (1:59) Also, there's no video here, Peter, so this is just audio. (2:01) You don't have to sit up and smile the whole time if you don't want to.
Peter SimpsonAlright. (2:06) Awesome. (2:07) Scott, it's a pleasure, meeting you. (2:09) My name is Peter Simpson. (2:10) I'm the chief technology officer here at DexCom.
Peter SimpsonAnd, as Jake mentioned, I've been here for going on twenty four years. (2:16) So I've been involved in all of the generations of the product and really seeing the evolution both of CGM and but also the impact that all these new technologies have had on people with type one diabetes. (2:27) So it's been amazing to be a part of that evolution and really excited about the future as well.
Scaling & Customer Focus
Scott BennerI I would imagine too you both have a perspective that is almost uncommon in a in a business like this. (2:39) Right? (2:39) I mean, you're from the beginning till now, you guys have seen it all. (2:42) You have kind of an institutional memory of it. (2:44) How does that help you?
Jake LeachIt's, you know, it's it's it is really a significant benefit. (2:50) One, because, you know, we we're intimately familiar with all the things that have led to the success of the company and the success of the technology. (3:00) And, you know, it's not like you're trying to learn that while also trying to figure out where the next, you know, place we wanna go is. (3:06) And so I think that is that is a significant benefit. (3:09) And also, you know, when it comes to my role, a big part of what I do is, making sure that we've got the right culture within the company.
Jake LeachAnd, there's some parts of our culture that have made us successful over time that we wanna keep. (3:23) And then there's parts of the culture you wanna continue to evolve, particularly as we scale. (3:28) It was very different days when we were Peter and I actually used to go down watch them ship the sensors out the door for that day to the users. (3:35) Right? (3:35) And we're talking about hundreds of sensors.
Jake LeachRight? (3:38) And now, you know, we're shipping millions and millions of sensors every week. (3:42) So, you know, it's very different than the things that are important when you scale. (3:45) You need to, you know, have those capabilities. (3:47) And so and and how you look at it is it all continuously improving and all that.
Jake LeachSo that that is a a big part of, you know, what I do, and and I lean on the history and the experience. (3:57) And the other thing too is things aren't always easy. (3:59) I mean, we've we've done it's been many decades of very hard work and really persevering through lots of challenges. (4:05) You know, when things happen and don't go as planned, you kind of fall back on the, yeah. (4:10) This we've been here before, and this is how we're gonna fix
Scott BennerWhat's it like to try to keep that culture of patient first worrying about people, worrying about customers, but then scaling up in the way that you did? (4:22) I don't you'd talk about how many sensors you ship a year now versus back then?
Jake LeachWell, we're well north of a 100,000,000 sensors. (4:29) We have more than three and a half million active users, you know, in in using the sensors today, and that number grows. (4:35) You know, we grew that by 20% last year in terms of the number of people that use Dexcom every day. (4:39) So and we're gonna continue to grow. (4:41) It you know, it's actually it's interesting.
Jake LeachThe the patient centered focus for DexCom, because it's so core and it's always been there, we've always been a customer focused company, that's actually the easy part in terms of it. (4:54) I don't you know, you don't have to convince anybody. (4:55) People come here because they are passionate about our mission, and they they want to they know, you know, what we're trying to achieve for our users. (5:03) I think the hard part is making sure we always show up that way. (5:07) Like, the intent is there.
Jake LeachRight? (5:09) The intent is to always be user focused and we, you know, meet the needs of the user. (5:13) But when you scale and grow, you have to start changing the way you do things to better match the scale. (5:19) And there's lots and lots of examples from manufacturing all the way through customer support where we need to keep evolving and improving. (5:26) And we can't, you know, keep doing things that what worked for a smaller number of users doesn't work when you get to the large number of users for lots of different reasons.
Jake LeachSo I think that's the part that is harder but very achievable. (5:38) You know, as the new CEO, it's like, is something we're gonna show up. (5:41) We're not adding to people's burden. (5:42) We're relieving the burden of diabetes or at least helping to relieve that. (5:46) We should never be adding to your burden as a user.
The Customer Advisory Council
Scott BennerCan that be a pothole? (5:49) Like, you're you're focused on who you are, you know what you think you're doing, but somehow it gets away from you and you don't realize it right away? (5:55) Or is it a thing you see, like, gotta get to that, but we're so busy? (5:59) When those things ebb and flow, how do you keep your eye on them when they're moving? (6:04) You know what I mean?
Scott BennerBecause your intention's the same. (6:06) So yeah.
Jake LeachI I think it's really the feedback mechanisms. (6:10) That's the number one thing, that helps you understand how you're doing is real the appropriate feedback mechanisms. (6:14) And it's actually one of the reasons why we started the customer advisory council is because we have many feedback mechanisms we've developed over time. (6:21) But I was, you know, wanted to hear more from community around, you know, all the things that we're doing well that we can double down on, but also the things that we're not, know, where we're not meeting users' needs, where we're not showing up the way our users want us to. (6:35) And so that we put the advisory council together, which you're a participant in, Scott, which I really appreciate you doing that.
Jake LeachAnd it was you know, it's a diverse group, and we wanted to hear straight talk, like, are we doing well? (6:46) What are we not? (6:47) So that we improve it. (6:48) And the goal is to make sure that the feedback from that council shows up in the actual experiences our users are having, whether it's product or support or anything around your experience with Dexcom. (6:59) Wanna make sure it's meeting everybody's needs.
Jake LeachYou gotta have those mechanisms.
Scott BennerWell, I can say for sure that you wanted to hear the feedback because I didn't just bring my own. (7:07) I brought feedback from the audience, which was pretty extensive, and I was invited back to the second meeting. (7:12) So I figured you actually wanted to hear about it.
Jake LeachIt's working.
Scott BennerSo so that's what we're here to talk about a little bit today. (7:18) Right? (7:18) You guys are putting out a report based on these meetings. (7:21) Can you explain to people what all this is and and what did it turn up?
Jake LeachYeah. (7:26) Hey, Peter. (7:27) Do you wanna take do you wanna take that one?
Peter SimpsonYeah. (7:29) You know, we've had two of these meetings so far. (7:31) First one is to make sure that we were listening, and then the second one was where we kinda played back what we were hearing and gave a little bit of information about how we were, responding to some of those commentary. (7:42) We're about to publish this, report out that basically captures that and and talks about some of the commitments that we're making as a company to our customers about the, product performance, the transparency, the communication, and, you know, even things like our, replacement policy and and and such. (8:01) Mhmm.
Peter SimpsonYou know, that I think it's very important for us to listen to our customers, but also to know that they they are listened to. (8:08) And I think that this is just a piece of that that we can communicate out to to make sure that they know that we are listening to them and really want their feedback.
Addressing Goosenecking
Scott BennerYeah. (8:17) How can you kind of close the time between when the customer realizes something's going on, but you don't realize it? (8:24) And then you have to react and, I I would imagine, figure out what to do and move forward, and there's no communication in that time, which I don't even know what you would be communicating. (8:32) I use the like, the goosenecking is a great example. (8:34) Right?
Scott BennerLike, think Arden was using g seven, like, maybe week one. (8:39) And one of our first sensors, it happened to. (8:43) And I don't know. (8:43) I just I said, call it in. (8:45) Put on the next one.
Scott BennerI didn't even think twice about it, really. (8:48) I just and then suddenly, you hear other people talking about online. (8:51) But how long does it take you to hear rumblings? (8:53) Like, and what would you say to people who would say, well, why is that not something you already knew was going to happen? (8:58) How does something in a manufacturing supply chain like, how does that happen?
Scott BennerBring people into that idea.
Jake LeachSo what I would say, Scott, first of all, is for that particular deployment issue, we saw it we see you know, because our devices are connected and we constantly monitor feedback from the performance, we actually saw it start increasing early in '25. (9:20) So beginning of last year, we started seeing it increasing, and we saw that signal. (9:24) What we didn't immediately understand is what was causing it. (9:27) So we jumped on it, and the the Tiger team has put together. (9:31) And specifically, I'll let Peter describe a little bit about what we found there.
Jake LeachBut that was an example though of something that we monitor. (9:38) But what we've also continued to do is that experience taught us that there's other aspects of the product that we can be monitoring in real time in the field. (9:49) And so we've continued to enhance our analytics capabilities so that with all of if you think about data technologies, artificial intelligence ability to spot patterns that maybe we don't immediately spot as a data scientist, that is some of the technology we're trying to apply to be able to monitor performance because, you know, we have so many users. (10:10) We can see when something is going out of out of range and then we can jump on it. (10:16) But that one sensor deployment issue challenge that we had, happy the team jumped on it, happy that, you know, we've corrected it, moving forward, but that was a hard one.
Jake LeachPeter, do wanna describe a little bit about that?
Peter SimpsonYeah. (10:28) So, what you're referring to is is I think you've called it gooseneck. (10:32) This is where our sensor during the deployment process, it brings the sensor and the needle down to under the skin and then bring retracts that needle, leaving the sensor behind. (10:42) What happens in those cases is the sensor gets pulled back with the needle, and then it's no longer in the body. (10:48) So you essentially have an out of box failure or failure for the sensor to connect or to to sense the glucose.
Peter SimpsonNow, our algorithms are able to detect it, so it's not a safety concern, but it is a usability concern. (11:01) It's a very it's a serious one. (11:02) You're expecting this product to work, and that's your expectation, and we need to live up to that expectation. (11:06) So when we see those failures, even if it's a small amount, we take them very seriously. (11:10) When we detected into the field, it was very early on, and we we put together what we call tiger teams.
Peter SimpsonAnd these are groups where we take them off of their projects. (11:18) They're dedicated to figuring this thing out. (11:19) They're meeting on a day, sometimes twice a day basis to to understand what's going on in the manufacturing floor. (11:25) Is there any changes that were made that could cause this to spike up? (11:29) And, over time, we did figure out what was causing it.
Peter SimpsonAnd, you know, a lot of it, similar to other issues that we've experienced in the past is when you're scaling, you get more variability in your process. (11:40) And when you identify that variability, it's pretty straightforward or or it let me not say easy, but you can you can fix it once you've identified where it's coming from. (11:48) And that's what happened in our in this case is the Tiger team was able to figure out what the root cause was and gotten it back down to a very low level. (11:56) We still have some improvement to do, and we've got technology that's gonna come out later this year that's gonna make it even even to, you know, to the best level that we've ever had in in g seven. (12:05) And so while these teams work really aggressively, you know, we have to find we have to find the issues quickly, and we have to respond to them quickly.
Peter SimpsonAnd then the most important thing is to get those improvements out into the field so that the customers are getting the best product every time with every sensor that we're making. (12:21) You know, I think what what Jake mentioned and through this process, we've learned a lot as a company in terms of being just really on top of everything that's going on in the field. (12:30) And Jake mentioned some of the improvements that we're implementing where we're doing, you know, real time monitoring on not just that one, but dozens of other attributes that we're we're monitoring in real time. (12:41) And as soon as we see something that's that's out of just slightly off, we'll we'll react. (12:45) We'll get a team that's on it and and really jump on these problems before they hit the field.
Peter SimpsonSo I think that's what we're we're continuously improving, and we're gonna be working harder and harder and and doing more of that going forward to make sure that every product is meeting the customer expectations because that that's what's required.
Scott BennerA couple of follow ups. (13:01) So what you're saying is it's only really a problem if you don't learn something from it. (13:05) And so this it showed you a way that you could actually track other things as well. (13:09) So, yes, it was a problem, but you're gonna get something out of it.
Jake LeachYeah. (13:12) Absolutely.
Scott BennerAnd I wanna tell you and, and Peter, if you have any kind of time in the future, I saw the explanation of how the goosenecking happens, I would sit down and geek out for an hour talking to you about what you figured out and what was happening. (13:25) I find it really fascinating. (13:26) And I don't know if everybody would, but, you know, in that council meeting when you guys came back in that second in that second meeting and said, oh, here's the answer to how that happened. (13:36) I thought that was fascinating. (13:37) I think the other thing that was fascinating was a description of how the interstitial fluid and the wire works.
Scott BennerIf you want, I'll do a I'll do a retrospective series with you about that. (13:46) I'd be so interested to talk about that, but I don't wanna press you. (13:49) So okay. (13:50) So you guys figured that out. (13:51) Still improvements made.
Scott BennerDoes that mean some people still might see this happen?
Jake LeachYeah. (13:57) I think, you know, one of the things I loved about this project, you know, while it was challenging and we were it was we're trying to solve this issue, it led to new innovations that are gonna drive the improvements even farther. (14:09) So we're well back to kind of historic levels for this failure mode, which is very, very low. (14:14) But there's even more technology teams working on to drive it even so even further improvement beyond where we've historically been. (14:22) So I think that's one of the things that's exciting about anytime you you learn something, new ways to prove the product and apply it.
Jake LeachAnd so, you know, it does happen very rarely still, but we we wanna try and drive as close to zero as possible.
Customer Support & Replacements
Scott BennerLet's move on to, like, support and replacement stuff. (14:37) Because I know you have a bunch and I have a couple of questions here. (14:39) I don't wanna keep you guys too long. (14:41) What's changing about how this is gonna work? (14:44) So break it up into two pieces for me.
Scott BennerIs support changing, improving, being different going forward from stuff you've learned from this council? (14:52) And what about how you're gonna replace devices when they when they fail?
Jake LeachSure. (14:56) So a couple things I'd I'd add there is that, yes, our support teams are continuing to evolve. (15:02) One of the things that we've done is the new MyDexcom account, as well as the tools that our agents have to be able to interact with our users around their experiences are continually improving. (15:14) And the goal there is to ensure that the user has the right experience from kind of an empathy perspective and also the information provided to the user by our agents, the tools that we've been launching and we're continually evolving. (15:29) But we've done some pretty major, new, launches in the last six months here.
Jake LeachShould result in more consistent experiences and more experiences meeting expectations. (15:38) There's a lot of great experiences out there, but we tend to hear more about the ones when they don't go right. (15:42) And that's one of, you know, there's always a learning there for us in terms of what we could do better. (15:48) Also, sometimes patients felt like they're being asked the same information over and over, and a big part of that is just making sure we understand what the issue is, but we shouldn't be placing that burden on the user. (15:59) Our system should capture that and then transfer it to the next individual who's working working with the user.
Jake LeachSo there is a lot of change going on there. (16:07) I mean, we're gonna continue to innovate there. (16:09) One of the three pillars I put forth when I took over as CEO, as I said, we want to set the standard for excellence in customer service for the whole category. (16:19) Right? (16:19) So we want to be the best and we want to continue improving on the best.
Jake LeachAnd I feel like that is a really important part of making sure that customer we have customers for life. (16:28) Right? (16:29) They should should trust XCOM forever. (16:30) We should always be improving and living up to that. (16:32) So that is going on.
Jake LeachThe thing about the replacements, I think the main thing here is just being much more clear in our messaging around replacements. (16:41) And, you know, unfortunately, there are instances where we have people calling us who are not users, who are trying to get replacement sensors that they can resell on the open market. (16:50) And that happens, like, you you would be surprised, Scott, but it I
Scott Bennermean, I am surprised.
Jake LeachIt it happens. (16:55) Right? (16:56) And it's one of the things that we we don't want that to happen, but we also don't want to cause an experience at the expense of a user. (17:02) Right? (17:02) So sometimes I think users feel like they're being interrogated, but a big part of that is we need to make sure you're actually a customer who needs an actual replacement.
Jake LeachAnd so that's just one example of coming up with new systems to make sure we can authenticate users with less friction so that we can get them the sensors they need. (17:20) And then the last thing I'll just mention is one of things I think that's clear is the performance of the sensors. (17:25) Some of the, what would be considered a sensor failure is really just physiology. (17:29) We're at the end, know, we're continually pushing the envelope here on CGM technology with the most accurate, longest lasting sensor. (17:35) Not all sensors last.
Jake LeachWhen they don't last, we need to make sure the user gets a sensor. (17:40) But, you know, it's often not necessarily the quality of the sensor. (17:43) So when it says sensor failed, was nothing wrong with the physical sensor. (17:46) Was just, it wasn't able to sense glucose anymore, for example. (17:49) The body started encapsulating the sensor, over those, that period of time that the patient's wearing it.
Jake LeachAnd that happens to people at different rates. (17:56) It's uncommon, but it can happen, right? (17:58) So, but our number one goal is to make sure patients always have sensors. (18:02) Customers always need their sensors. (18:03) We don't want anybody to go a day without it.
Jake LeachSo we're continuing working on systems on how to enable and and facilitate sensor replacements so that they always have that sensor. (18:13) And and we've made some improvements, and we're gonna keep making improvements to reduce friction.
Scott BennerSo not that it would be comforting to a person who it was happening to, but what's the reality versus the Internet? (18:23) Meaning, like, how many people put it on? (18:25) I'm just gonna I've said this before. (18:27) I I almost feel bad saying it out loud. (18:29) My daughter wears a g seven for ten days plus the bonus time.
Scott BennerWorks great the whole time. (18:34) I always just assume that means her physiology pairs well with the device, and I just I count it lucky. (18:40) But for someone who says, hey. (18:42) Mine shuts off on the seventh day. (18:44) I never make it past the eighth day.
Scott BennerIt gets fuzzy on the whatever they say, I don't know how to ask the question. (18:48) How many out of a 100 people is that happening to? (18:51) Do you know those numbers?
Jake LeachYeah. (18:52) Well, it's basically I mean, in in our clinical trial data, which is just a sample of patients, right? (18:57) But generally our performance in the field, because our clinical trials are large enough, we could generally see, you know, we track sense of survival. (19:05) And I'd say the fifteen day sensors are doing a little better than we did in the clinical study in terms of survival. (19:10) You know, most sensors do make it out to ten days, but not all, right?
Jake LeachOccasionally you have an experience where one doesn't. (19:16) And most of the time, again, it's based on the physiologic environment. (19:19) But our goal is kind of making sure that at least 80% of the sensors make it to the full sensor wear time. (19:28) And, you know, a lot of them, you know, it'll be day 14 or maybe day 13 where we start to detect that it's not sensing accurately. (19:35) But the vast majority today of users are getting, you know, the full full sensor wear.
Jake LeachBut, you know, it's not occasionally, sensor falls off, something happens with the adhesive, something happens with the sensor not being able to sense glucose anymore because of the body. (19:49) So I think for us, it's around whatever experience you have as a user, whether every sensor goes ten days or maybe or fifteen days or some end early, we gotta make sure that people always have that sensor they need. (20:02) And that's when you sign up for Dexcom, that's that's our goal, to make sure you get get the sensors you have and and and that you need.
Scott BennerSo is this a little bit of the idea that people don't go to the Internet to celebrate things going well? (20:13) And that when you see somebody complaining, it's mostly because they're having
Jake LeachIt's probably part of it. (20:18) Yeah. (20:19) I mean I mean, I think that those you know, we don't often I mean, myself as a consumer, I don't often celebrate all the successes I have with products. (20:27) I'm I'm usually, you know, more vocal about the ones that didn't go right. (20:29) So I think that's that can happen.
Jake LeachIt's valid. (20:32) Yeah.
Scott BennerYeah. (20:33) I'm just trying to understand it even just from a personal experience because, I'm I'm telling you, on one hand, I can count the amount of these sensors that hasn't lasted ten days. (20:40) And I'm not saying we're doing something right or better. (20:43) I just, you know, I just assume that's the situation. (20:45) But okay.
Jake LeachOne thing I have seen though is over time, people who have experience with sensors figure out what works best for them. (20:52) And so one of the things I do notice is that, like, and we see like earlier, when you're brand new to sensor therapy and technology, it, you know, you may have some learnings around how to make sure that that sensor stays adhered, stays functioning the whole time. (21:07) Right? (21:07) And so whether it's over patches or different types of skin prep, yeah, I think everyone kind of has there's different options out there, which, you know, one of the things we can do continue to do is make sure people are familiar with what the options are out there to help them continue to get the the full wear life.
Understanding Sensor Accuracy
Scott BennerCan you explain a little bit about accuracy? (21:24) So this is another thing we did in the council, and it's, I think, in the report too. (21:28) So I guess with the fifteen day or the seven day, it doesn't matter to me how you talk about it, but explain to people day one accuracy and maybe give them a little insight on how the algorithm, I'm gonna say scrubs the data it's getting. (21:43) I'm sure that's not the word you use. (21:45) But how does the algorithm make sense of what it's seeing, and why does what it's seeing why is it more sensible as time moves on after that first day?
Jake LeachPeter's a, expert at this. (21:54) I'll let, I'll let him talk about one.
Scott BennerPeter, did I ask that even reasonably clearly?
Peter SimpsonYeah. (21:59) Scott, so I'll explain a little bit of the the challenges that our sensor can experience, specifically on day one. (22:06) So accuracy in general, obviously, accuracy is super important, you know, for our customers and having consistent performance and something that we work on all the time. (22:15) Our sensors on the benchtop are really accurate. (22:18) I mean, we're we're, like, in the two to 5% MERD, super accurate and very consistently accurate.
Peter SimpsonIt's when you go into that biological environment that you you tend to see that variability and the inaccuracy start to occur. (22:30) And from a biological perspective and and, again, I wanna you mentioned it, but, you know, what we see is these these sensors that work exactly the same on the benchtop. (22:37) You put them on 10 different people, and you can get 10 different experiences. (22:41) And so part of the technology on our side is to develop, you know, that that interface, that membranes, and the coatings that work on all the different biologies that people have.
Scott BennerOkay.
Peter SimpsonAnd, again, most people don't have problems on day one, but some people do experience some inaccuracy on day one. (22:57) And what's going on there is when you insert the sensor, it's essentially creating a very small wound pocket or a wound environment. (23:04) So your body goes through this wound healing response. (23:07) And what it's doing is it's kind of sending sending some cells in there to clean up this this environment. (23:13) And when that happens, you know, these cells tend to be very metabolically active.
Peter SimpsonSo the sensor itself is working perfectly fine, but the the body is interfering with the ability of the glucose to get to the sensor.
Scott BennerOkay.
Peter SimpsonSo that's what you're actually experiencing when you have those challenges on day one oftentimes. (23:29) And, you know, after that process takes its place, the sensor really, then stabilize or that wound healing environment in the interstitial fluid is really stable for for a long period of time. (23:40) And then just to close it out at the end, why some people don't get their sensors to work last all fifteen days, it's because the body over a long term starts to encapsulate that sensor and basically start with the sensor of glucose and oxygen, the things that it needs to do. (23:54) And in in that case, we you know, what we do with the algorithm on both these cases is we are looking at that environment, looking at the sensor signal to make sure it's of high quality. (24:02) And if it detects that it's not of high quality, then it will, either blank the data temporarily or it will shut off the sensor, especially at the end the end use.
Peter SimpsonAnd and that's what it's saying. (24:13) You know, I don't trust the data. (24:14) I'm not gonna, present in a what may be inaccurate data to the customer, so the algorithm then shuts the sensor off. (24:21) So that's what we're doing, and we continue to evolve both the sensor technology to make it work better and better in a a larger population, but also advance the algorithms so that it can often then correct for those those issues and improve the performance of the system.
Looking Ahead to Dexcom G8
Scott BennerWell, I have a question I I hope is a kind of a thoughtful way of asking about g eight. (24:40) I know we're just getting this to fifteen day g seven, but if g eight was your first sensor ever, none of the other ones would have existed. (24:47) What of today's conversations and or problems that we have would never have existed if g eight was first?
Jake LeachI mean, obviously, g eight is the next big advancement for us from a glucose sensing perspective, and we're adding multi analyte to it as well. (25:03) You know, I think some of the variability that we see in performance, it certainly is going to attack that. (25:08) I mean, it has brand new technology in it that's is proprietary first of its kind where we have additional signal that we can measure from the sensor to basically self adjust. (25:19) You can think about it like calibrating. (25:21) Mhmm.
Jake LeachYou know, you can finger state calibrate when needed or when you want to for for g seven. (25:27) And one of the it's one of the unique characteristics of our of our sensors. (25:30) Think of it being able to do that on its own. (25:32) So it's it's slow it's self adapting while you're wearing the sensor. (25:36) You know, this is just an algorithm technology.
Jake LeachIt's algorithm and and trunks that measure an additional signal. (25:41) So it's very exciting. (25:43) Think that would so basically, some of the variability that folks have experienced in the past obviously wouldn't be there. (25:49) Obviously, the G8 adhesive is pretty phenomenal. (25:52) We've learned so much over time with adhesives.
Jake LeachWe're in the middle of launching the third version of the G7 adhesive. (25:58) It's already starting to roll out to the field. (26:00) People are experiencing it. (26:01) We're already seeing the impact out there. (26:03) We'll roll that across all of the portfolio.
Jake LeachAnd a GA took those learnings and took it even farther. (26:09) So quite a bit. (26:10) I mean, there's still a little variability on the first day that you're gonna see. (26:13) You know, we've always been trying to minimize that. (26:15) There'll be an improvement, but that's why we say there's always opportunity for us to continue to innovate here and, you know, provide the absolute best experience.
Scott BennerJake, you're a pro because I skipped my adhesive question because of time, and you still were able to fold it in there at the end. (26:28) I thought that was fantastic.
Jake LeachI didn't know. (26:30) Sorry. (26:30) Thank you for that. (26:31) Great.
Scott BennerYou don't have my questions in front of you. (26:33) I just I had to pick something to skip for time. (26:35) And Peter, I wasn't kidding. (26:37) If you wanna come back and really talk, like, dig deep about this stuff anytime at all, I'll I'll do it while you're having lunch if you want. (26:43) Doesn't matter to me if it doesn't eat into your day.
Scott BennerBut I really appreciate you guys doing this with me and continued success. (26:49) We love the product. (26:50) It really does change our lives every day here. (26:52) I I can't begin to say enough different ways about how it's made our lives better at my house. (26:57) So thank you very much.
Jake LeachThanks for the time, Scott, and thanks thanks for being part of the the advisory committee that's really helping us.
Scott BennerOh, no. (27:05) I appreciate it. (27:06) I I'm excited for the next one. (27:07) It's been an interesting process to actually hear other people's perspectives about what works, where they have rough spots, and the reasons behind the parts that they're worried about. (27:18) It's interesting to come into a space where you think that the thing you're saying is gonna be the thing everyone is saying.
Scott BennerAnd then when that's not the case, you go, oh, wow. (27:25) There's more to this than I even imagined. (27:26) And I'm thinking about it way too much. (27:28) Thank you again. (27:29) I really do appreciate your time.
Scott BennerI hope you guys have a a good afternoon.
Peter SimpsonThank you, Scott.
Scott BennerTake care. (27:40) Hey. (27:41) Thanks for listening all the way to the end. (27:42) I really appreciate your loyalty and listenership. (27:45) Thank you so much for listening.
Scott BennerI'll be back very soon with another episode of the juice box podcast. (28:01) If you're looking for community around type one diabetes, check out the Juice Box Podcast private Facebook group. (28:07) Juice Box Podcast, type one diabetes. (28:11) But everybody is welcome. (28:12) Type one, type two, gestational, loved ones, it doesn't matter to me.
Scott BennerIf you're impacted by diabetes and you're looking for support, comfort, or community, check out Juice Box podcast, type one diabetes on Facebook. (28:25) If you're new to type one diabetes, begin with the bold beginnings series from the podcast. (28:30) Don't take my word for it. (28:32) Listen to what reviewers have said. (28:34) Bold beginnings is the best first step.
Scott BennerI learned more in those episodes than anywhere else. (28:39) This is when everything finally clicked. (28:41) People say it takes the stress out of the early days and replaces it with clarity. (28:45) They tell me this should come with the diagnosis packet that I got at the hospital. (28:49) And after they listen, they recommend it to everyone who's struggling.
Scott BennerIt's straightforward, practical, and easy to listen to. (28:56) Bold Beginnings gives you the basics in a way that actually makes sense. (29:01) Have a podcast? (29:02) Want it to sound fantastic? (29:04) Wrongwayrecording.com.
