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Dexcom’s new CEO talks affordability, over-the-counter glucose sensors

Healthcare Brew sat down with Jake Leach, CEO and president as of Jan. 1.

3 min read

Caroline Catherman is a reporter at Healthcare Brew, where she focuses on major payers, health insurance developments, Medicare and Medicaid, policy, and health tech.

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There’s a new leader at the helm of Dexcom, the $26+ billion glucose monitoring company.

Jake Leach, a 21-year company veteran, officially became CEO on Jan. 1, though he began serving as CEO in an interim capacity in September when former CEO Kevin Sayer took medical leave.

Leach has been with the company since 2004, the year it debuted its first glucose sensor for people with diabetes. He became COO in August 2022 and president in May 2025.

The company, meanwhile, has released the seventh generation of its continuous glucose monitor (CGM), boasting sensors that can last up to 15 days, along with an over-the-counter device, Stelo. Dexcom revenue reached $4.7 billion in 2025, up 16% YoY, according to a preliminary and unaudited report from Jan. 12.

Healthcare Brew sat down with Leach at CES 2026 to talk about what’s next for Dexcom during his first full year as CEO.

This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

What are some of your goals for 2026?

We’ve got a number of new technologies we’re launching. One of the exciting ones is a new interface for our over-the-counter CGM. We’ve completely redesigned that mobile app with the idea of putting the insights up front so that users get an interpretation of their information right away, and then they can dig into the details.

We also have our 15-day G7 [sensor], the most accurate, longest-lasting sensor available.

And then, of course, we’ve got quite a bit more in the pipeline that we’re working on that will be releasing over time.

Speaking of your over-the-counter CGM, it’s marketed to adults who do not use insulin, including people without diabetes. I’d love to hear how you plan to attract those consumers.

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There’s a lack of knowledge and information about glucose and metabolic health out there.

Diabetes is one of the most common chronic diseases, but…the vast majority of people that have prediabetes don’t know they have it. There is no reason why everyone shouldn’t try a sensor to better understand what their glucose health looks like. And then if they do learn they have prediabetes, it’s a really powerful tool to help change that trajectory by modifying behavior and better understanding food.

Are there any efforts planned in 2026 to make this technology more affordable? (GoodRx estimates a CGM system can cost under $2,000 to $7,000 a year without insurance, depending on brand.)

One thing that we are always focused on is broadening insurance coverage and access.

The way that we do that is we generate evidence through running randomized control trials. We’re in the middle of running one right now where the outcome and the evidence can be used for access globally, not just here in the US.

Also, with the Stelo, it is the first time we’ve ever offered the technology for less than $100 a month. Our ability to do that has come from the scale we’ve been able to build and multiple factories around the world producing these sensors.

Are there any recent or future policy changes you’re keeping your eye on for the business?

We’ve done a lot of work on AI, so we’re watching that regulation and guidance. A lot of that you have to self-regulate, but there needs to be some guardrails out there. And then we’re looking to Medicare coverage expansion as well as expansion globally.

Navigate the healthcare industry

Healthcare Brew covers pharmaceutical developments, health startups, the latest tech, and how it impacts hospitals and providers to keep administrators and providers informed.