Abbott Laboratories has launched a new generation of FreeStyle and FreeStyle Lite blood glucose test strips in Europe.

The new test strips have a ZipWik tapered design that offers faster blood application, fewer wasted test strips and improved accuracy.

CE Mark approval for the new FreeStyle and FreeStyle Lite test strips was obtained in October 2009. The products are now available in 14 EU countries, including the UK.

The new FreeStyle line of test strips is compatible with all FreeStyle blood glucose monitoring systems.

The new test strips are the most accurate produced by Abbott, with 95% of results within 15% of the true glucose value for glucose values equal to or greater than 5.6mmol/L and within 0.56mmol/L of the true glucose value for glucose values less than 5.6mmol/L.

The higher level of accuracy increases the confidence of clinicians and patients when managing diabetes with insulin and other medications.

The new FreeStyle line of test strips uses the GDH-FAD6 enzyme, which is unaffected by common non-glucose sugars such as maltose or galactose, and so reduces the risk of interference with test results.

"The new FreeStyle line of test strips represents Abbott's latest success in delivering innovative products for people living with diabetes," said Heather L. Mason, senior vice president, Abbott Diabetes Care.

"By providing a better testing experience and achieving greater levels of accuracy, Abbott is delivering on what patients and healthcare professionals demand in diabetes care, especially for people who use insulin to manage their diabetes."

 
FreeStyle Lite