Dexcom launches celebrity CGM diabetes patches in #SeeDiabetes campaign

Dexcom U.K. is launching a campaign led by four local celebrities who have designed their own  continuous glucose monitor (CGM) patches to tell their “Diabetes Story”.

In what CGM maker Dexcom calls its “Celebrity Warriors,” the celebs' custom patch creations showcase their personal stories. The four celebs are celloist Sheku Kanneh-Mason (diagnosed aged 12), Rugby player Henry Slade (diagnosed aged 18), fitness influencer Eoin Costelloe (diagnosed aged 19) and model Roxy Horner (diagnosed aged 30).

These patches, which can be worn over insulin pumps on CGM monitors to personalize them, “will illustrate what it means to them to #SeeDiabetes and encourage others to take part,” according to Dexcom U.K.'s press release.

Dexcom is also looking to expand the CGM custom design campaign beyond the celebrity warriors. The company is now reaching out to those with diabetes, as well as their family and friends, to design their own custom patches through the UK.SeeDiabetes.com site. And Dexcom is encouraing them to share pictures on social media using the hashtag #SeeDiabetes. The aim? "To get involved in the conversation and help people with diabetes feel seen and heard," according to the press release.

And there's more. Dexcom said it would also be giving away patches to the first 500 designs in the U.K. and Ireland.

“Raising awareness of diabetes has always been important to me,” said Slade in the release. “I had great role models growing up, especially watching my dad successfully manage his diabetes while continuing to play sport, and I’ve learned there’s nothing you can’t do.

“The patch I’ve designed is a testament to this, celebrating my achievements with Exeter and the impact Dexcom CGM has had on my diabetes journey.”

Dexcom, which battles Abbott and Insulet for market space in the growing CGM market, has grown in recent years. In 2021, it tallied up $2.45 billion in revenue, a huge 27% increase from its $1.9 billion total in 2020, a year that CEO Kevin Sayer had previously described as the company’s best ever.

The med tech company sells a host of CGM systems for Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, including Dexcom One and Dexcom 6.