Usually when someone says they’ve done something more than 3,000 times, they're exaggerating. But when it comes to fingersticks, for people with diabetes, that's probably true.
Dexcom’s latest DTC advertising campaign offers people with Type 2 diabetes the chance to forgo fingersticks and instead simply glance at their smartphones by using the company's G6 continuous glucose monitor. The two new TV commercials, with the tagline "There is a better way," feature actors who tout G6's benefits, including no fingersticks and better control.
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The TV ads direct viewers to a custom "Better Way" link for more information, where the front page notes: "There is a better way to manage your T2 diabetes. Meet the Dexcom G6."
And that 3,000 finger sticks number? Dexcom's TV ad small print tells viewer that the average diabetes patient will prick their finger at least twice a day for more than four years. It adds that for Type 2 diabetes patients on intensive insulin therapy, that number rises to more than three sticks per day.
Dexcom has advertised the value of no fingersticks previously in TV ads, although those focused on people with Type 1 diabetes. Those older ads, which are still running, feature actual Type 1 patients.
People with Type 1 diabetes make up the bulk of Dexcom's CGM users today but the company has made no secret about its ambitions in the much larger Type 2 population. Type 2 patients currently make up about 20% of its users, but in its most recent earnings call, Dexcom executives noted "good progress" in the company's expansion efforts, which include payer negotiations and real-world evidence.
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Direct-to-consumer advertising is part of that expansion as well, and on the Q3 call, CEO Kevin Sayer said the efforts were "going very strong."
"Our return on our DTC investments has been very, very good to date," he told investors. "You will see more from us going forward this quarter and the first of next year. We have a lot of fun things planned for you on the DTC front."
The company is also "prioritizing our direct-to-consumer marketing efforts, given the continued momentum with CGM awareness and the adoption runway ahead," CFO Quentin Blackford said.
Dexcom did not return FiercePharma's requests for comment about the new TV ads.