Saw this news last week about a new insulin pen being released in 2014 by Novo Nordisk that will deliver 1/2u increments, in addition to having a memory function (so you can see when you last took an injection and how much!). They are promoting it as a good alternative for children because of the 1/2u dosage, but I think it could be beneficial for lots of folks to allow for better accuracy in dose delivery.
Here is the release copied from the link above:
Novo Nordisk receives U.S. FDA clearance for the insulin injection device NovoPen Echo®
First insulin injection device to combine half-unit dosing with a memory function to help patients better manage their diabetes
Plainsboro, N.J. (August 21, 2013) – /PRNewswire/ – Novo Nordisk, a world leader in diabetes care, announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted 510(k) clearance for the insulin device NovoPen Echo®. This marks the first and only pen device in the U.S. with half-unit dosing and a memory function that records the dose and time passed since the last injection.
This pen is the latest insulin delivery system from Novo Nordisk, and will be available to patients for use with NovoLog® (insulin aspart [rDNA origin] injection) PenFill® cartridges.
“The U.S. approval of NovoPen Echo® represents a significant milestone in insulin delivery, especially for children with diabetes and their caregivers,” said Camille Lee, senior vice president, Diabetes Marketing at Novo Nordisk. “The pen can offer caregivers increased confidence that their children are managing their diabetes appropriately away from home by allowing them to see the amount and time passed since their last dose.”
Half-unit dose increments allow for finer adjustments, which can be particularly important for children. In addition, different removable skins will be available for a kid-friendly customized look.
Novo Nordisk plans to make NovoPen Echo® available in the U.S. in early 2014. NovoPen Echo® has already launched in Europe, Canada, and Israel.
That is good to hear. I have the novo pen junior which also has half doses. I thought the echo was already on the market though? I guess they're bringing it back? I think I will get it since it has a memory which novopen junior doesn't have.
They have already released it in switzerland, where i live, many kids had them in dcamp, really great pen, we had no problems with them in the two weeks. they look great, blue and red, so you can distinguish between long and short acting insulin. also their memory feature is great. a great advance in pen technology.
hope many of you pen users in the us can benefit from that great pen!
I use the Echo for about 2 years now and I can really recommend it. The only complain I have is that they designed the pen in a way that it will not accept the longer Lantus vials. This restriction is also true for the NovoPen 4. It is also a pen that should be primed before every injection. Again a similarity to the NovoPen 4.
It will not record time, dates or dosages. It remembers the last dosage and knows the quarz swings since the last injection. Thus it can show you how long ago you have injected and the amount. In my opinion this is sufficient and preserves battery life. The battery can not be recharged but due to the simple design it should last for a while. Hopefully as long as the lifetime of the pen. I will exchange my pens after 4 to 5 years because I will have doubts about the mechanical reliability. I have used pens too long in the past and just switching to a newer pen improved my control. From this lesson I have learned to replace it sooner.
As an alternate there is the Pendiq Pen. It has 0.1 increments, records the dosages and can be recharged via USB. I am not sure about the FDA clearance though.
The novo pen only accepts novo nordisk insulin (levemir and novorapid) as far as i know, because the pen vials are different from each company. So thats a minus, i agree. Other than that i have not heard of any problems with it.
Do those of you who’ve used them feel that the devices are actually capable of .5 unit precision? I use the standard novo-pens… Sometimes if I prime 1 unit out on to the floor I will get 6-7 drops, sometimes barely 1… This makes me wonder how precise something like .5u, or 2.5u, or whatever, could really be when administered from a pen. Any thoughts?
How long are these pens? I've tried disposable sample pens from my doctor, but they were too long/bulky for me, and also I wasn't happy with the control in comparison to syringes. Seemed like they needed to stay in my arm longer than a syringe would.
The novopen junior is about the same length/size as the plastic pens- it is made from stainless steel and it's heavier. For all my pens I hold them compressed for about 10-20 seconds to make sure all the insulin gets into me.
They seemed to drip a bit for me, and I never had that with syringes, but maybe that was the size of pen needle. The size is a deal breaker for me. I carry a loaded syringe in my kit, and it's not as bulky.
I am pretty insulin sensitive - they tell me (so 1 unit drops me about 75 points). I tried the novopen jr because the Novopen Jr here in the US already has 1/2 unit increments, but you have to inject at least 1 unit. I also looked into that one Humalog had/has with a memory, but that one is only 1 unit measurements.
I have used this pen for over a year, together with the plastic Flexpens.
My general feeling is that this pen is more accurate than the Flexpens and that the smaller increment is justified on the Echo.
I like the extra “resolution” of the half unit, as 5 units at a time is currently my maximum. For larger doses than that the .5 unit would probably not be that important.
It says in the packaging for the novopen jr that it is only reliable for dosing at 1 unit and up, in half-units. That being said, they do have the it on the pen itself, and I have used it a couple times when desperate. Don't really know why Novo put the 1st 1/2-unit on there if they don't want us using it.....
