Literally dozens of companies are betting that millions of people with diabetes will answer yes to both questions. The companies use a variety of technologies that have been maddeningly complicated to develop and even to understand. But for those of us who have diabetes, the choice of technology matters less than whether it works. It's such a high-stakes race that two companies have run into legal trouble along the way by promoting systems that do not appear to work. Ironically, these are the companies that have received the most attention, tainting the whole market.
Several companies have technologies that promise to deliver painless blood glucose testing.
Some of these are so thinly capitalized that they stand little chance of finishing the race. The companies that appear to have the best chance of winning the race are those with deep pockets or major marketing partners. Success is important both to people with diabetes and to these companies. The potential market is huge. Only half of Americans with diabetes have been diagnosed, and only 18 percent of those who have been diagnosed monitor their blood glucose levels regularly, the report says.