Abbott CEO eyes ‘guerilla marketing’ to get Lingo CGM to people without diabetes

As Abbott prepares to enter new territory with the impending U.S. launch of the first version of its continuous glucose monitoring technology designed to be used by people without diabetes, it’s taking a very deliberate approach to marketing the sensor.

During a call with investors this week to discuss Abbott’s second-quarter performance—which included a double-digit bump in its medical devices division, with about 20% growth in diabetes care—CEO Robert Ford addressed the company’s marketing plans for the Lingo device.

Lingo was cleared by the FDA in June and is set to begin its U.S. rollout this summer. Though it’s built around the same technology as Abbott’s FreeStyle Libre family of CGMs, the over-the-counter Lingo device isn’t confined to...