Insulin pen
Encyclopedia
Insulin
Insulin is a hormone central to regulating carbohydrate and fat metabolism in the body. Insulin causes cells in the liver, muscle, and fat tissue to take up glucose from the blood, storing it as glycogen in the liver and muscle....
for the treatment of diabetes. It is composed of an insulin cartridge (integrated or bought separately) and a dial to measure the dose, and is used with disposable Pen needles
Pen needles
Pen needles are used in conjunction with injection pens to deliver injectable medications into the body.A pen needle consists of a hollow needle which is embedded in a plastic hub and attaches to injection pens. Pen needles come in a variety of needle lengths and diameters and are used by both...
to deliver the dose.
Types of pens
A number of companies make insulin pens including Novo NordiskNovo Nordisk
Novo Nordisk manufactures and markets pharmaceutical products and services. Created in 1989 through a merger of two Danish companies dating back to the 1920s, it has become one of the world's leading companies in diabetes care, where Novo Nordisk pursues research into pulmonary delivery systems;...
, Aventis
Aventis
Aventis was a pharmaceutical and lab assay testing company. It was formed in 1999 when Rhône-Poulenc S.A. merged with Hoechst AG. The merged company was based in Strasbourg, France. With its headquarters in Strasbourg, Aventis was the product of the first transnational merger to combine large...
, Eli Lilly
Eli Lilly and Company
Eli Lilly and Company is a global pharmaceutical company. Eli Lilly's global headquarters is located in Indianapolis, Indiana, in the United States...
and pendiq. These companies produce pens for most of their insulins, including NovoLog/NovoRapid
Insulin aspart
A fast acting insulin analog is a man-made form of human insulin. A single amino acid has been slightly changed in its molecular structure. This change helps the fast-acting insulin analog absorb quickly into the bloodstream. As a result, it starts working in minutes, which allows you to take...
, Humalog
Insulin lispro
Insulin lispro is a fast acting insulin analogue; it was the first insulin analogue, and is similar to insulin aspart....
, Levemir
Insulin detemir
Insulin detemir is a long-acting human insulin analogue for maintaining the basal level of insulin. Novo Nordisk markets it under the trade name Levemir. It is an insulin analogue in which a fatty acid is bound to the lysine amino acid at position B29. It is quickly absorbed after which it binds...
and Lantus
Insulin glargine
Insulin glargine, marketed by Sanofi-Aventis under the name Lantus, is a long-acting basal insulin analogue, given once daily to help control the blood sugar level of those with diabetes. It consists of microcrystals that slowly release insulin, giving a long duration of action of 18 to 26 hours,...
. pendiq does not produce insulin and the pendiq-pen can work with most of the common insulin cartridges.
There are two pen systems: durable and prefilled:
- A durable pen uses a replaceable insulin cartridge. When the insulin cartridge is empty, the empty cartridge is disposed of and a new one is inserted in the pen.
- A prefilled pen is entirely disposable. The pen comes pre-filled with insulin, and when the insulin cartridge or reservoir is empty, the entire unit is discarded.
Most brands of insulin are now available for use in pens, these include:
- NovoLog, NovoRapid and Levemir by Novo NordiskNovo NordiskNovo Nordisk manufactures and markets pharmaceutical products and services. Created in 1989 through a merger of two Danish companies dating back to the 1920s, it has become one of the world's leading companies in diabetes care, where Novo Nordisk pursues research into pulmonary delivery systems;...
- Lantus and Apidra by Sanofi-AventisSanofi-AventisSanofi S.A. is a multinational pharmaceutical company headquartered in Paris, France, the world's fourth-largest by prescription sales. Sanofi engages in the research and development, manufacturing and marketing of pharmaceutical products for sale principally in the prescription market, but the...
- HumulinHumulinHumulin is the brand name for a group of biosynthetic human insulin products, originally developed by Genentech in 1978 and later acquired by Eli Lilly and Company, the company who arguably facilitated...
and Humalog by Eli Lilly and CompanyEli Lilly and CompanyEli Lilly and Company is a global pharmaceutical company. Eli Lilly's global headquarters is located in Indianapolis, Indiana, in the United States...
Use
Insulin pens are used by 90% to 95% of insulin-treated patients in Europe, Asia, and Scandinavia with excellent results. They are currently underutilized but growing in use in the United States.Insulin pens offer several significant advantages over insulin syringes: ease of handling, accuracy, and more discreet to use.
To use a pen:
- Screw or click on a new pen needle
- If necessary, prime the pen to remove any air from the needle
- Turn the knob on the end of the pen (or "dial") to the number of units needed
- Insert the needle into the skin
- Press the button on the end of the pen to deliver the dose
- Count to five
- Remove
Advantages
Insulin pens have a number of advantages:- More convenient and easier to transport than traditional vial and syringe
- Repeatedly more accurate dosages - the pendiq allows steps of 0.1U
- Easier to use for those with visual or fine motor skills impairments
- Less injection pain (as polished and coated needles are not dulled by insertion into a vial of insulin before a second insertion into the skin)
- A memory of 195 injections (approx. 60 days) in case of the pendiq
It is important that proper injection sites on the body are used. A healthcare provider helps determine the best injection site for a patient. In general, recommended injection sites include the abdomen, parts of the buttocks and thigh areas.
Disadvantages
Unlike with the traditional syringeSyringe
A syringe is a simple pump consisting of a plunger that fits tightly in a tube. The plunger can be pulled and pushed along inside a cylindrical tube , allowing the syringe to take in and expel a liquid or gas through an orifice at the open end of the tube...
, two different insulins cannot be mixed by the user in an insulin pen. On the other hand, some of the newest types of insulin cannot be mixed at all.
In addition, using pens and pen needles is usually more expensive than using the traditional vial and syringe method; insurance
Insurance
In law and economics, insurance is a form of risk management primarily used to hedge against the risk of a contingent, uncertain loss. Insurance is defined as the equitable transfer of the risk of a loss, from one entity to another, in exchange for payment. An insurer is a company selling the...
coverage for insulin pens in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
may vary widely.
External links
See also
- Insulin pumpInsulin pumpThe insulin pump is a medical device used for the administration of insulin in the treatment of diabetes mellitus, also known as continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion therapy.The device includes:...
- Insulin syringe
- Insulin portInsulin portAn insulin port functions as a medication delivery channel directly into the subcutaneous tissue . When applying the injection port, an insertion needle guides a soft cannula under the skin...
- Injection portInjection portAn injection port is a medical device used for the administration of insulin or other physician approved medicine into the subcutaneous tissue...
- Pen needlesPen needlesPen needles are used in conjunction with injection pens to deliver injectable medications into the body.A pen needle consists of a hollow needle which is embedded in a plastic hub and attaches to injection pens. Pen needles come in a variety of needle lengths and diameters and are used by both...