by Ed Bryant
As I have reported in previous issues of Voice of the Diabetic, the SugarTrac is a new, non-invasive, talking glucose monitor. As conceived, the SugarTrac is small, easy-to-use, about the size of a cell phone. No skin is pricked; no blood is drawn. A small clip fastens to the earlobe; a tiny wire connects to the meter. The clip is re-usable; there are no test strips or lancets to buy. And, as they describe, the meter is meant to talk (the meter's voice can be switched off, too, as needed). It's meant to be inexpensive, too; no more than $100 for the machine, and a quarterly (every three months) "recoding" expense, less than $50, for the earclip.
The problem was, several months ago, as I reported, The meter's Florida office and 800 number closed down, and at the same time the website disappeared. Had LifeTrac, the corporation set up to develop the new meter, folded?
I tracked them down. Their office in Biddeford, Maine, was still open; their website reappeared; the SugarTrac was still "on." The company had taken a few wrong turns, and had experienced some administrative difficulties, but everything was back on track.
Last August, I spoke with Richard Peters, inventor of the SugarTrac, about the future of his product. He acknowledged they had lost maybe eight months pursuing an innovative feature: a wireless link between the meter and the "earclip" sensing unit. Now, to expedite Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval, they will proceed with the original, wire-linked, "first model" design, as covered in previous Voice articles.
Mr. Peters told me the tests, protocols, and designs were "about completed, and looking good ... 92 to 97 percent accuracy." He forecast a maximum of six months (after FDA approval) before the SugarTrac is on the market. The FDA submission date, he reported, is to be October 1 (just incidentally "press date" for this Voice issue). "And we’re trying to speed everything up now," he assured me.
The SugarTrac is not yet approved. It is not yet available to consumers. Hopefully, FDA approval will come soon.
I am extremely interested in this meter, and I am in regular contact with
Mr. Peters. He has promised me I'll be the first on his list to be told when
it is approved -- and that news will appear in Voice of the Diabetic.
(Note: Their Web site: www.sugartrac.com,
has not been updated/kept current for some time, and should not be seen as a
primary source for news. Current SugarTrac information may be obtained by writing:
Sugartrac, PO Box 1573, Osprey, FL 34229.