Device could end diabetes pinpricks.

Nearly 16 million people in the United States have diabetes, and most need to prick a finger daily with a sterile pin to monitor their blood-glucose concentrations. A new experimental device may take the sting out of this ritual by absorbing moisture through the skin and analyzing it for glucose. The gadget, called GlucoWatch, looks something like a wristwatch with an absorbent pad underneath it.

When tested on 28 individuals who have diabetes, the GlucoWatch readings closely tracked those obtained by pinpricks, says Satish K. Garg of the University of Colorado Health Science Center in Denver. A valuable attribute of the GlucoWatch, he says, is its ability to sense a sudden drop in blood sugar.

No device now on the market can continuously monitor blood glucose without penetrating the skin, Garg says. "I think the major advance [in monitoring] in the next 5 years is going to be in this technology," he says. The GlucoWatch, made by Cygnus of Redwood City, Calif., is expected to sell for about $300, with the pad costing $4 per day to replace.

The diabetes patients reported some mild itching and irritation under the pad. Garg notes that the watch, which uses a AAA battery, can be moved each day to minimize this side effect. Cygnus has sent data from 600 patients to the Food and Drug Administration as part of an application for marketing approval.