Hi all! I just noticed that Eli Lilly is now producing a U200 Humulin insulin. But it’s in Pen form only. Does anyone know how to contact them to ask them to make it in vial format so us pump users can use it? I found this number, but they were not very helpful 1-800-545-5979. Here’s the web page: http://www.humalog.com/humalog-u200-kwikpen.aspx
Basically, 40+ years of Type 1, I use a lot of insulin. Get 1 1/2 days out of my pump, where I should be able to get 3 if I were not insulin resistant. Would love to get 3 days, and I feel this product would provide that. I know others here are in the same boat, and would love to work together to get Eli Lilly to help us get better control through ease of use of our pumps.
I’m hoping it’s just due to my hyperthyroidism, but lately I’ve been using 80-100 units a day and have had to change my pump cartridge every two days. I’m hoping this is just temporary (in the summer I was taking half this amount), but if it’s permanent I could see how it would get extremely annoying.
I hope this becomes available in vial form soon. Is it available as pen cartridges rather than disposable pens? I use pen cartridges rather than vials to fill my pump (since I use insulin pens for backup).
In the “bad habit” category, I fill my pump from pens – I got several “bad habits” from my initial pump experience with the Asante Snap, I’m afraid. I’m sure there must be something wrong with the approach (or everyone else would do it too! ), but I insert the filling needle, dial up insulin and press it into the pump cartridge. I stash whatever’s left in the pen into my supplies bag and use it either on the next fill or for emergency shots. I have very little problems with bubbles, by the way, but when I do get one, I tap it out, not back into the pen, as that would probably break the pen mechanism.
you can fill your pump with pen vials as well. just push it in the pump vial. however, be very careful as your pump probably has no setting for u 200 insulin so you need to divide everything by 2, or you will go hypo in no time
Another strategy that you might consider is moving to a mixed regime. Take (most of) your basal as an injection, perhaps using the new Toujeo (which is 300 units/mL). Then just use your pump to deliver your mealtime and correction doses (and any “extra” basal you might need at certain times like overnight). That could shift up to half your insulin off your pump and get you twice as long on a single pump fill.
ps. I think you mean Humalog U-200, not Humulin U-200 (which would be regular insulin).
pps. Lilly probably made a business decision not to offer Humalog U-200 so that it wouldn’t erode sales of it’s Humulin U-500 in which it gouges patients for $1000/vial.
I’m guessing one reason more people don’t do it is because pens are more expensive than vials. I do it to use up the pens I had before I went on the pump.
I actually do a mixed method right now. Except I bolus with injections and basal with the pump. I find that easier to change my basal over the hours of the day to keep my BG lines more solid. I think it’d be easier to do everything via pump, and a U200 insulin would make that a reality for me. From this forum and many others I know that would benefit a LOT of long term type 1 diabetics.
I wonder if it’s a safety issue. It would be so easy to get twice the insulin you want by using a standard syringe. Maybe the FDA had something to say about this?
I seriously doubt it’s a safety issue. People aren’t generally that dumb. If they are, well then they deserve the problems. Sorry, but that’s life. I still hope a vial format of this new insulin comes sooner rather than later.
Actually as I thought about it, offering Humalog U-200 in a vial probably would be a safety issue as syringes are not calibrated to U-200, they are calibrated to U-100. So you would either need to always take a half dose as measured by the syringe and hope you don’t forget or obtain special syringes for U-200 and make sure you don’t mix up U-100 and U-200 syringes. So yes, maybe it is a safety issue.
Brian, There are and have been many different “U” types on the market for a very long time. U500 is a popular type. So why aren’t those confusing? So, I have to disagree. U200 is not confusing, and should not be.
Fortunately, Insulet, the maker of my pump Omnipod is working with Lilly now to make a pump that pairs carefully with the new U200 insulin. I don’t understand why a new pump is needed, but oh well. As long as they are working on it.
U-500 insulin is in fact considered dangerous. It is still available in vials probably only for legacy reasons. There have been proposals to label it with a huge red label. You can read about some of the risks here.
The higher concentration insulins (Humalog u200, Toujeo u300 Humulin u500) are PURPOSELY only made available in prefilled pens to ensure correct dosage deliveries. Except Humulin u500 which is still available in vials. This is “old” insulin and passed FDA in the past, but perhaps will not pass the vial format if FDA will be asked today.
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MURPHY’S LAW says that if it is possible to happen, IT WILL HAPPEN. Will somebody try to inject Toujeo u300 as a Lantus u100 insulin? Yes, it happened. Here’s the excerpt from that report:
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“A patient who was previously using LANTUS (insulin glargine) U-100 was switched to Toujeo U-300. He was given pre-filled pen needles to use with Toujeo, but at home, he decided to use the insulin pen cartridge as a vial. He drew up a dose with a leftover U-100 syringe, filling it to the 1000 unit mark, the same daily Lantus dose he had been taking. This resulted in a dose of 300 units of Toujeo, which led to hypoglycemia requiring hospital admission.”
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Here’s the source: http://www.dagensdiabetes.info/index.php/alla-senaste-nyheter/2268-misuse-of-new-insulin-strengths-u-200-u-300-u-500
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Safety first.
I would like to add that I would like to see Humalog U200 be approved in the vial format. And I am hoping that Apidra and Novolog will follow suit. I believe that the less volume of insulin we inject, the longer we can keep the infusion set, say 4-5 days instead of 2-3 days. This will save some money as well as cut back on the environmental wastes. FDA can approve with some warning to users.
), but I insert the filling needle, dial up insulin and press it into the pump cartridge. I stash whatever’s left in the pen into my supplies bag and use it either on the next fill or for emergency shots. I have very little problems with bubbles, by the way, but when I do get one, I tap it out, not back into the pen, as that would probably break the pen mechanism.