Insulin pens - The next generation insulin injection devices
Introducing the next generation insulin pen
Novo Nordisk has designed a next generation prefilled insulin pen. The insulin pen builds on the high standards already seen in Novo Nordisk’s current insulin pen but also provides benefits for patients, based on feedback we have received from both doctors and patients currently using a Novo Nordisk insulin pen device.
New features of the insulin pen
The Novo Nordisk insulin pen has a number of new features designed to provide improved safety, convenience and ease of use for patients and healthcare professionals.
For example, the insulin pen:
- Requires 30 % less force when injecting, resulting in a significantly lower injection force as for example compared with other insulin pens. You need to press down on the push button of the insulin pen to inject your insulin. How hard you have to press often depends on how much insulin you are injecting. However, the next generation insulin pen has been designed with a 30 % lower dose force so you need to apply less pressure on the dose button when injecting insulin, even at high doses. This will make injection of insulin a more comfortable and convenient experience for you, especially if you have pain or limited movement in your hands.
- Has full-coloured cartridges, labels and packaging designed to aid easier insulin type identification for patients and healthcare professionals. The next generation insulin pen offers new coloured labels and cartridges. The colour-coded labels, cartridges and packaging help you quickly identify that you have the right insulin in your hand. Some people use two different types of insulin. In this case, the colour-coding is particularly useful to ensure that you use the right insulin at the right time.
- Provides superior dose accuracy in comparison to other injection systems such as vials and syringe. Delivering insulin accurately is amongst other factors very important to stay in good control of your diabetes. The insulin pen delivers insulin with high dose accuracy so you can feel confident that you receive the insulin you set the insulin pen to deliver.
Product Features
Besides the new features, the insulin pen has the same product features as the conventional insulin pen.
- The next generation insulin pen delivers accurate and precise insulin doses. The insulin pen provides doses in one unit increments up to 60 units per injection.
- The insulin pen is a pre-filled insulin delivery device, eliminating the step of loading insulin into the delivery system.
- The insulin pen dose-setting mechanism does not allow a dose larger than that remaining in the insulin pen to be administered. It also permits dose corrections without loss of insulin and provides doses in one-unit increments up to 60 units per injection. Each insulin pen contains 300 units of insulin.
- The dose scale of the insulin pen automatically returns to zero after injection to allow visual confirmation of dose delivery.
Improvements and recommendations
25 years ago, Novo Nordisk invented the first insulin pen. Since then, research and development has made it possible to introduce a next generation insulin pen. This insulin pen has new features designed to provide improved safety, convenience and ease of use for patients and healthcare professionals.
The next generation insulin pen is very welcome because it makes insulin injections more comfortable for patients. The insulin pen introduces key features that will go a long way towards improving patients’ compliance with prescribed treatment. The insulin pen is amongst the best devices available for people with diabetes today.
Patient preference
The latest Novo Nordisk insulin pen is a well-known device, used by millions of people with diabetes worldwide every day. The insulin pen is often recommended to patients because it’s simple to use, and the insulin pen delivers insulin in a safe way.
The next generation insulin pen by Novo Nordisk is well-received by diabetes patients and was in a study strongly preferred to the conventional insulin pen.
- 95 % of patients who tried the next generation insulin pen said they would prefer to use it, over the conventional version;
- 89 % found the new insulin pen more convenient to use;
- 98 % said the insulin pen took less effort to inject;
- and 83 % felt the insulin pen was safer to operate than the conventional insulin pen device.
Diabetes management
The latest Novo Nordisk insulin pen is a prefilled insulin pen, like other insulin pens available today. The insulin pen is used by millions of people everyday, making it the world's most widely used prefilled insulin pen. The insulin pen is popular because it is simple to learn and use, and because it delivers insulin accurately. And the insulin pen just got even better with the introduction of the next generation insulin pen.
Insulin treatment is a very natural part of living with diabetes both type 1 and type 2. If you have type 2 diabetes, insulin is very often added to your treatment after you have been advised to change your diet, exercise pattern and taken tablets for a while.
One of the most important things when taking insulin is that you can feel safe, secure, and know that through simple steps you can administer insulin yourself. If you have fears or concerns about using an insulin pen, these can often be allayed by talking these through with your nurse or doctor, or even someone you know who is taking insulin.
When insulin is needed, a prefilled insulin pen, such as the latest Novo Nordisk insulin pen, is a commonly used injection system for insulin delivery. The insulin pen is simple to learn and use, it delivers insulin accurately, and the insulin pen has a discreet and non-medical appearance.
Delivering insulin with vial and syringe is common in several parts of the world. Prefilled insulin pens however, like Novo Nordisk’s insulin pen, offer several advantages over vial and syringe.
Not only is the insulin pen easier to use, it is also more accurate in delivering insulin doses and the insulin pen is more discreet in public and more convenient in general. The insulin pen from Novo Nordisk is the world’s most widely used prefilled insulin pen.
Healthcare professionals and people taking insulin believe that insulin pens can help people look after themselves better.
How to use the insulin pen
25 years ago Novo Nordisk invented the first insulin pen. Here is a description of how to use the next generation insulin pen.
Getting started
- Start with checking the label to be sure that your insulin pen contains the correct type of insulin. Also, check the expiry date to make sure that it has not expired.
- Then take off the cap of the insulin pen.
- If you're using cloudy insulin, always mix it before injecting. If you're using clear insulin, this isn’t necessary. After mixing the insulin, you are now ready to attach the needle. If you are using a non-cloudy insulin, you can go straight to this step.
- Use a new needle for each injection. Remove the protective tab from the outer needle cap.
- If using conventional needles, screw this straight and tightly onto your device.
- Pull off the outer needle cap and the inner needle cap of the insulin device. Do not discard the outer needle cap as you will need this to remove the needle after its use.
Attaching a needle
- To avoid air taking the place of insulin and to ensure proper dosing, dial two units.
- Hold your insulin pen with the needle pointing upwards and tap the cartridge gently with your finger a few times to make any air bubbles collect at the top of the cartridge. Press the push button of the insulin pen all the way in until the dose selector returns to zero.
- A drop of insulin must appear at the needle tip. If not, change the needle of the insulin pen and repeat the procedure no more than six times.
- If a drop of insulin still does not appear, the insulin pen is defective and must not be used.
Setting the dose
- Check that the dose selector is set at zero and dial the number of units you need to inject.
- If you dial too many units, just dial back to your correct dose
Injecting the insulin
- Insert the needle into your skin. A common angle is 90 degrees.
- Deliver the dose by pressing the push-button all the way in. Be careful only to press the push-button once the needle is actually in the skin. You'll hear confirmative clicks when delivering the insulin.
- After completing injection, the needle should remain in the skin for at least six seconds.
Removing the needle
- Put the outer needle cap back onto the needle, unscrew the needle and dispose of it carefully according to the guidelines in your country.
- Do not leave the needle on between injections and use a new one each time.
- Put the insulin pen cap back on and you are done.
Insulin pen Q & A
Q: Why has Novo Nordisk introduced a new insulin pen?
A: Novo Nordisk is committed to continuously introduce new solutions that can improve the lives of people living with diabetes. Over the years, we have received input from patients, healthcare professionals, and authorities that has given us direction on which features to improve on. The new insulin pen is a result of this feedback and dedicated R&D work.
Q: Why are the distinct colours introduced on the fast and long-acting modern insulin pen important?
A: There have been several incidents of patients who use more than one insulin pen to treat their diabetes or have taken the wrong insulin. By making the colours on the insulin pens more distinct such mix-ups will hopefully be avoided.
Q: Why has a coloured cartridge for mixed insulin pens not been introduced?
A: A coloured cartridge has not been implemented on any mixed insulin pen since patients and healthcare professionals need to be able to easily see that they have mixed the insulin correctly. This is easiest to do through a clear cartridge.
Q: Do conventional needles fit the new insulin pen?
A: Yes, any conventional needle fits the new insulin pen.
Using the next generation insulin pen
Q: How does the insulin pen work?
A: The insulin pen has a very simple, single-step dose setting. The dose scale of the insulin pen is large and clear for confident dose setting and precise dose adjustment. Dose setting is in 1 unit increments up to a maximum of 60 units per injection. Dose correction is easy: simply dial back to the correct dose, without loss of insulin.
Q: Why is an air shot needed?
A: Air bubbles may collect inside the insulin cartridge. To avoid air taking the place of insulin when injecting insulin and thereby ensure you receive all the insulin you need, an air shot is recommended.
Q: Must the insulin pen be reset before dialling each dose?
A: No, the dose scale of the insulin pen returns to zero during injection, so the insulin pen is always ready to use.
Q: How can I see if the dose dialled has been delivered?
A: The dose scale of the insulin pen returns to zero during injection to allow visual confirmation of dose delivery.
Q: How can I check if the insulin pen can deliver the full dose dialled?
A: The insulin pen has an end of content feature, which makes it impossible to dial a dose larger than what remains in the insulin pen.
Q: Why is the last mark indicated on the cartridge 12U while all the other marks are marks at 50U intervals?
A: With mixed insulin types, it is important that the patient mixes the insulin properly. To allow for even mixing, a minimum of 12U is needed. As a safety measure, if there is less than 12U left in the insulin pen with mixed insulin, a dose cannot be dialled. Even though this is only relevant for mixed insulin pens, the 12U mark has been implemented on all insulin in order not to complicate the production.
The Insulin Pen & Needles
Q: Which needles do I use with the new insulin pen?
A: Novo Nordisk has designed special needles to be used with the new insulin pen.
Q: Can needles be left on the insulin pen after usage?
A: The needle should be removed from the insulin pen and disposed of after each injection. Temperature changes and tough shaking of the insulin pen can cause insulin to leak through the needle if a needle is left on between injections.
The Insulin Pen & the Environment
Q: What is the insulin pen made of?
A: The insulin pen is made of non-polluting plastic. One insulin pen contains 16g of plastic, which is approximately 3/4 of the weight of a plastic bag.
Q: Does the insulin pen pollute?
A: The insulin pen is made from environmentally friendly plastic but inevitably some energy consumption is related to using and disposing of the insulin pen - just as driving a car is. The energy consumption when using one insulin pen per week for a year corresponds to driving less than 45 km in a standard car (based on EU numbers).
Storage & Travel
Q: What are the storage requirements of insulin pens for pharmacy and patient?
A: Keep the insulin pen out of the reach and sight of children.
Store the insulin pen in a refrigerator (2°C – 8°C), away from the freezing compartment. Do not freeze.
Once the insulin pen is in use or carried as a spare, there is no requirement for refrigeration for 30 days. However, do not store the insulin pen above 30°C.
In order to protect the insulin pen from light, keep the cap on when the insulin pen is not in use.
Do not use the insulin pen after the expiry date stated on the label/carton.
Q: What do I do with my spare insulin pen when going flying?
A: We recommend that you bring all your insulin devices with you in your hand luggage since there is a high risk that your insulin pen will freeze in the storage room.
Disposing of the insulin pen
Q: How do I dispose of the empty insulin pen?
A: Always consult your local regulation regarding the available options for prefilled device disposal. In general, the insulin pen can be disposed of as household waste provided that the needle has been removed. The used insulin pen can then be incinerated releasing only CO2 and water. Land-filling of a disposed insulin pen will not harm the environment beyond the actual use of land, because no chemicals will be released.
External reference links
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diabetes_mellitus
• http://www.diabetes.org/
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insulin_pen
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insulin
APROM ID#: 1476 Date of Preparation: December 2009
