Outcry Over Nick Jonas in Super Bowl Commercial for Dexcom

February 17, 2021

DiabetesType 1 Diabetics typically check their blood glucose levels by pricking their finger with a needle to obtain a small blood sample. Insulin injections regulate this blood glucose level, but can cause significant financial hardship. In a Super Bowl commercial for Dexcom, Nick Jonas promoted an alternative to fingersticks—a medical device that provides a continuous reading of glucose levels. Widespread outcry over the commercial stems not from the product, which appears to live up to its claims, but in the expense associated with the device, even with insurance. Access to insulin remains a far-reaching issue for Americans, so the commercial, aired at the most expensive event of the year, was viewed as out-of-touch.

Craig Stubing of the Beta Cell Foundation remarks, “Spending all this money on an ad, when people’s lives are at stake,” adding, “I don’t know if ‘offensive’ is the right word, but it seems out of touch with the reality that their patients are facing.” He noted, “I’ve personally given insulin to people, friends and strangers, because they were out of it, and I had happened to have extra, because I was lucky. Learn more here.

(Source: Dave Holmes, Esquire, 2/8/21)

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