About bloomin time!
I had heard about this some months ago, but then promptly forgot about it.
In April 2014 Sanofi launched the JuniorStar, a 1-30u insulin pen that can be used with Lantus (glargine) insulin and delivers doses in 0.5u increments. Woooo hooooo!
During my least years on MDI, wrestling Lantus into submission was more or less a full-time hobby. My basal requirement changes frequently in response to a wide range of factors (differences in general activity levels, warmer/cooler weather, or more frequently... just because it feels like it). On pump these tweaks are easier to manange, but more than once on Lantus I would seem to find myself in a position where a change of a whole unit up or down was just a bit too much, and I would have to settle for a Hobson's choice dose. It was particularly frustrating because of the 'some units are more equal than others' weirdness that I frequently see when my basal insulin dose is just a little bit out. A unit too much or too little of Lantus over 24 hours could leave me scoffing a massive stack of carbs to stave off relentless lows, or chasing high BGs with units and units of extra rapid-acting insulin corrections.
Diabetes is biology, not maths - and we can't always expect the numbers involved to behave in a predictable, logical way. This will be news to none of you.
So HURRAH to the fine French pharma folks for finally stepping up to the plate and launching a 0.5u pen. Mysteriously though Sanofi are yet another pharma company to market a half unit pen with a 'Junior' mindset (NovoNordisk did the same with the NovoPen Echo). It is as if only children could possibly find a use for half-unit increments. I can only hope that adult patients will not have difficulty* in accessing this potentially very useful addition to their Diabetes Gubbins stockpile.
EDIT: *Due to the ridiculous immediacy of the flow of information in the Twit-o-sphere, having posted this just a few minutes ago someone has already pointed out that the JuniorStar can be obtained directly from Sanofi, without the need to jump through tortuous prescription hoops and bothering your surgery/clinic. Simply contact the Sanofi helpline. Thanks to @davidcragg for the tip :)
Showing posts with label NovoPen Echo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NovoPen Echo. Show all posts
Posted by Mike on Thursday, 14 August 2014
Posted by Mike on Tuesday, 21 February 2012
NovoPen Echo launches in the UK
Long-term readers (bless you, how ever have you managed it?) may recall that a couple of years ago I actually changed insulins (from NovoRapid to Humalog) because I was so fed up of my not being able to remember whether or not I had actually taken my mealtime insulin and/or which of the possible dose configurations I had finally settled on. At the time the only injection pen available in the UK which recorded doses was the Humapen Memoir. Had I lived in a different part of the world, there would have been no need to change insulins. The NovoPen Echo, which records doses and provides half units was already available at that time in the US. But not here. Cue general grumblings, outrage and sighing-and-rolling-of-eyes from a handful of discontented UK diabetics. Some even going so far as to launch that most effective of lobbying methods, a Facebook campaign-and-moan page.
Not without a whiff of irony, when I changed to a pump my DSN was a little wary of Humalog's reputation for crystallising in tubing so changed me back onto NovoRapid. It did strike me as very odd though that NovoNordisk would happily wave goodbye to any user of their insulin who wanted a pen with a memory in the UK, even though they had such a device available.
In the meantime Timesulin (a replacement cap which lets you know how long it was since your pen was last used) has launched and gone on sale in the UK. This tackles the main nagging worry of 'Erm... does anyone know if I jabbed before lunch?' and is compatible with a whole bunch of pens. Sadly though it can't track doses.
Well the wheels have turned. The Memoir pen has been taken out of circulation while Eli Lilly try to fix some battery problems and make other improvements. But it seems NovoNordisk have either a) come to their senses or b) jumped through whatever compliance hoops they needed to, because according to Kasper Kofod (Social Media Project Manager at Novo Nordisk A/S) the NovoPen Echo launched in the UK a week or two ago and is available from your local friendly DSN.
Hurrah!
Update/clarification: Initially the Echo was said to be available only for children. However I now understand that the NovoPen Echo is available to patients of any age. The NovoPen 5 (currently not available in the UK) which has the dose memory, a larger max dose but lacks the half unit may be released in the UK at some point in the future.
Posted by Mike on Sunday, 31 October 2010
A little consistency would be nice
Here's a thing... And for once I'm not whining about trying to keep my blood glucose levels in range while attemping some semblance of a normal life.
There are quite a few insulin pens on the market, I think it's fair to say that some are nicer that others. Some offer half unit doses, others permit particularly large single doses. There are even those (actually just one in the UK right now until the NovoPen Echo is released) that automatically record recent timings and doses. There are prefilled disposable ones and more luxurious-feeling metal cased ones. Brightly coloured ones and grown up serious ones. You would think we diabetics would be happy.
However, aside from the fact that many of the pens are actually quite nasty (flimsy, plasticky affairs that feel rather less than reliable), there is something about their design that frustrates me intently. Because there is no consistency in the design of the pen cartridges, different insulins are only compatible with a tiny fraction of a pretty meagre range. There is, of course, no reason for this. Readers of a certain age will remember the development of Betamax and VHS video. After the early excitement of both formats, it became clear to the industry that all the electronics brands would need to produce players compatible with a single format. For many MDI users the paltry choice of available pens is little more than a minor irritation, but I read a forum thread recently where a doctor was looking for an pen device which was easy to use with one hand. Someone suggested a pen which had a spring-loaded delivery via a sliding switch (the Autopen 24), but because of the current limitations such a choice will limit the patient to particular insulins. On the other hand if you are on Lantus glargine and would benefit from half-unit doses there are simply no compatible pens on the market. There are half-unit pens available, but none that fit Lantus cartridges.
There is, as I say, no reason for this. Where formats are common (audio CD, DVD, USB) competition still exists, brands are still able to assert their own identities and strengths. It feels as though development of the pens is seen by the pharmaceutical giants as a bit of a bind. But these companies are investing (probably considerable) R&D budgets into the development of these devices. Wouldn't it make sense then to see the pens themselves as an opportunity in their own right. To make each pen compatible with all insulins on the market. To produce better/more solid/more stylish/more advanced/more [insert your own wish here] delivery devices to build relationships with insulin users. After all these are things we are using day in, day out.
So come on Big Pharma, how about a little consistency in insulin cartridge design. Then patients could match the best insulin for them with the injection pen that best suits their needs. Not too much to ask, surely?
There are quite a few insulin pens on the market, I think it's fair to say that some are nicer that others. Some offer half unit doses, others permit particularly large single doses. There are even those (actually just one in the UK right now until the NovoPen Echo is released) that automatically record recent timings and doses. There are prefilled disposable ones and more luxurious-feeling metal cased ones. Brightly coloured ones and grown up serious ones. You would think we diabetics would be happy.
However, aside from the fact that many of the pens are actually quite nasty (flimsy, plasticky affairs that feel rather less than reliable), there is something about their design that frustrates me intently. Because there is no consistency in the design of the pen cartridges, different insulins are only compatible with a tiny fraction of a pretty meagre range. There is, of course, no reason for this. Readers of a certain age will remember the development of Betamax and VHS video. After the early excitement of both formats, it became clear to the industry that all the electronics brands would need to produce players compatible with a single format. For many MDI users the paltry choice of available pens is little more than a minor irritation, but I read a forum thread recently where a doctor was looking for an pen device which was easy to use with one hand. Someone suggested a pen which had a spring-loaded delivery via a sliding switch (the Autopen 24), but because of the current limitations such a choice will limit the patient to particular insulins. On the other hand if you are on Lantus glargine and would benefit from half-unit doses there are simply no compatible pens on the market. There are half-unit pens available, but none that fit Lantus cartridges.
There is, as I say, no reason for this. Where formats are common (audio CD, DVD, USB) competition still exists, brands are still able to assert their own identities and strengths. It feels as though development of the pens is seen by the pharmaceutical giants as a bit of a bind. But these companies are investing (probably considerable) R&D budgets into the development of these devices. Wouldn't it make sense then to see the pens themselves as an opportunity in their own right. To make each pen compatible with all insulins on the market. To produce better/more solid/more stylish/more advanced/more [insert your own wish here] delivery devices to build relationships with insulin users. After all these are things we are using day in, day out.
So come on Big Pharma, how about a little consistency in insulin cartridge design. Then patients could match the best insulin for them with the injection pen that best suits their needs. Not too much to ask, surely?
Posted by Mike on Monday, 19 April 2010
NovoPen with a memory please
My NovoPen 4 is great. It's an absolutely star piece of kit. Solid, nice-looking and reliable.
But about 5 years ago I had a brainwave.
What I need, I thought to myself, is an injection pen that automatically stores the doses and timings of recent injections and displays them on a little LCD screen on the pen.
That way when I'm varying the timing of doses (before/during/after meals) to match the activity curve of NovoRapid with the absorption of what I'm eating - and even more importantly when I'm splitting doses to phase the delivery over a longer time period (especially helpful for larger celebratory meals, or those higher in fat where absorption can often be significantly delayed) I won't forget what I'm up to. Recently as often as two or three times a month I've forgotten to inject at all (believing I'd done so already). Or even worse, double dosed. Not good.
Having looked around I've since found the Eli-Lilly 'Memoir' pen and I'm seriously considering changing insulins just to be able to have this facility - that's how useful I believe it would be to me.
So I've been on to NovoNordisk to ask them directly if they could get their R&D boffins on the case with a heartfelt plea. I was pleasantly surprised to get a very prompt and courteous email back... "Thank you for your message" they said... "very interesting and useful to get a users perspective...", "we'll send your request to our head office in Denmark..."
Just today I've discovered NovoPen 'Echo' due for launch later in 2010 in the US which has a little screen in the end. "Woo hoo!" you say? Well, er no. I'm afraid not. Sadly it's only being aimed at children with diabetes (ehhhhh?!) and I understand there is no plan to make the Echo available to adults in the UK market any time soon, if at all.
Not sure if anything will come of my appeal to NovoNordisk's better nature, but I hope it does. I've much preferred NovoPens to any other delivery device I've used.
Update: Thanks for the memoir-y
But about 5 years ago I had a brainwave.
What I need, I thought to myself, is an injection pen that automatically stores the doses and timings of recent injections and displays them on a little LCD screen on the pen.
That way when I'm varying the timing of doses (before/during/after meals) to match the activity curve of NovoRapid with the absorption of what I'm eating - and even more importantly when I'm splitting doses to phase the delivery over a longer time period (especially helpful for larger celebratory meals, or those higher in fat where absorption can often be significantly delayed) I won't forget what I'm up to. Recently as often as two or three times a month I've forgotten to inject at all (believing I'd done so already). Or even worse, double dosed. Not good.
Having looked around I've since found the Eli-Lilly 'Memoir' pen and I'm seriously considering changing insulins just to be able to have this facility - that's how useful I believe it would be to me.
So I've been on to NovoNordisk to ask them directly if they could get their R&D boffins on the case with a heartfelt plea. I was pleasantly surprised to get a very prompt and courteous email back... "Thank you for your message" they said... "very interesting and useful to get a users perspective...", "we'll send your request to our head office in Denmark..."
Just today I've discovered NovoPen 'Echo' due for launch later in 2010 in the US which has a little screen in the end. "Woo hoo!" you say? Well, er no. I'm afraid not. Sadly it's only being aimed at children with diabetes (ehhhhh?!) and I understand there is no plan to make the Echo available to adults in the UK market any time soon, if at all.
Not sure if anything will come of my appeal to NovoNordisk's better nature, but I hope it does. I've much preferred NovoPens to any other delivery device I've used.
Update: Thanks for the memoir-y
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