Advancing Type 2 Diabetes Care: The Role of Continuous Glucose Monitoring in Noninsulin-Treated Patients

Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) is standard of care as part of diabetes management for people with type 1 or type 2 diabetes using insulin therapy. Recently, the American Diabetes Association recommended CGM use be considered in adults with type 2 diabetes using noninsulin medications for managing blood glucose levels. Despite this recommendation, many people using noninsulin therapies for type 2 diabetes encounter restrictions on access to CGM. We have reviewed the available studies exploring the utility of CGM in this patient population, with a focus on glycemic management and health care resource utilization. Numerous studies focusing on this patient group, including systematic reviews and meta-analyses, randomized controlled trials, other prospective studies, and retrospective analyses, have consistently found that use of CGM is associated with improvements in HbA1c and time in range. A few studies also reported that CGM use was associated with reductions in diabetes-associated health care utilization. Although the available studies have limitations, they reveal a compelling trend supporting beneficial effects of CGM in noninsulin-using people with type 2 diabetes. Payors and policymakers should consider these studies and this compelling evidence when making decisions regarding CGM access.