Insulin Pens
Tweet Insulin pens are common in the United Kingdom, and are generally characterised by a different shape and the fact that they use an insulin cartridge as opposed to a vial. Some insulin pens use replaceable cartridges, and others use non-replaceable cartridges and must be disposed of after being used. Most insulin pens use replaceable insulin pen needles, which have become extremely short and thin. The replaceable cartridges for insulin pens come in 3 and 1 ½ ml sizes, although 3 is more common and has become dominant. Prefilled insulin pens are disposed of when the insulin within the cartridge is used up. Prefilled pens are often marketed for type 2 diabetics who need to use insulin. Insulin Pens Browse through our list of insulin pen reviews. You can also buy the insulin pens from the Diabetes Shop. Simply click on an insulin pen name to read the guide. How do I use an insulin pen to treat my diabetes? Using a pen is a relatively easy process. Some pens require gentle shaking before use. Once the cartridge is loaded, screw on a needle and prime the pen to clear air. Then dial in the exact dose that you require to deliver the insulin to the body. What is good about insulin pens as opposed to syringes? Insulin pens are very easy to use. They are great for young diabetics who need to deliver insulin at school. Furthermore, many diabetics find insulin pens almost painless. They are also portable and discreet, as well as not being as time-consuming as syringes. An accurate dose can be pre-set on the dosage dial, which can be useful for diabetes sufferers who also have impaired vision. Why might I not like insulin pens? Insulin pens are not right for 100% of diabetes patients. Insulin in pens and cartridges is generally more expensive than bottled insulin and syringes. Continue reading >>
How To Get Insulin At A Cheaper Price
Insulin can be expensive. If you’re one of the 6 million Americans with diabetes relying on this main-stay treatment, you could be paying out-of-pocket costs anywhere from $120 to $400 per month, according to a 2015 New England Journal of Medicine commentary. Drugs such as Lantus (insulin glargine) and Levemir (insulin detemir) have seen significant cost increases, according to a recent trend report by pharmacy benefit manager Express Scripts. One reason for the high prices is the lack of generic options for insulin. So for now, you’re stuck having to search around to find affordable options. Where do you shop for more affordable insulin? For some people though, high drug costs can mean making difficult financial choices. Our national polls show people might cut back on groceries and paying bills to pay for their medications. To minimize your costs, consider these options: Prescription Assistance Programs If you don’t have health insurance or are without drug coverage, look into applying for a patient assistance program (PAP). Through the nonprofit NeedyMeds, you can find some programs that offer free or low-cost insulin as long as you meet the eligibility requirements. Those are usually based on your insurance status, income, and diagnosis. You might also qualify for a diagnosis-specific program that can help you save on syringes, pumps, and other diabetes supplies. Pharmacists are also a great resource and can help you find a PAP that meets your financial needs. Switch Drugs Another way to save is by asking your doctor whether there’s a lower-priced insulin that’s right for you. While “long-acting” is a more popular type of insulin, it's also more expensive, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it works better. “It’s mostly a marketing ploy,” says M Continue reading >>
Patient Satisfaction And Costs Associated With Insulin Administered By Pen Device Or Syringe During Hospitalization
Study design. This prospective, randomized, controlled, parallel-group study compared the use of pen devices with conventional vials and syringes for the administration of insulin in hospitalized patients with diabetes mellitus requiring subcutaneous injections. A noninferiority study design was used to evaluate patient satisfaction and cost savings with insulin pens versus vials and syringes. Patients were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive their insulin using pen devices or vials and syringes. The study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki.[ 16 ] The procedures for the study were followed in accordance with the ethical standards of the investigational review board at Creighton University and Alegent Health System. Written informed consent was obtained from all patients prior to any trial-related activities. Patients were recruited from two general medicalsurgical units from July 2005 to May 2006. Two prefilled, disposable insulin pen devices were used: InnoLet and FlexPen (Novo Nordisk). Because the hospital has one preferred formulary manufacturer for insulin analogues, orders from prescribers for comparable insulin analogues were therapeutically substituted with an analogue of the hospital's preferred manufacturer whenever possible. Patients received InnoLet if they were randomized to the insulin pen group and prescribed insulin human regular, isophane insulin human (NPH insulin), or the combination of 70% NPH insulin and 30% regular insulin. Patients received the FlexPen if they were randomized to the insulin pen group and prescribed any rapid-acting insulin (insulin lispro or insulin aspart) or the combination of 70% insulin aspart protamine with 30% insulin aspart or 75% insulin lispro protamine with 25% insulin lispro. NovoFine Autocover Continue reading >>
- Rob Kardashian Home After Hospitalization: Surprise Diabetes Diagnosis Was a "Wake Up Call," Source Says
- Excessive fruit consumption during the second trimester is associated with increased likelihood of gestational diabetes mellitus: a prospective study
- Comparative Effectiveness and Costs of Insulin Pump Therapy for Diabetes
Pens Versus Vials For Insulin Delivery: A Cost Comparison
San Francisco—Diabetes mellitus (DM) is the leading cause of kidney failure, nontrauma-related amputation of lower limbs, and new cases of blindness in the United States; it is also one of the most common causes of heart disease, stroke, and death. Type 2 DM (T2DM) is the most common form of the disease, affecting up to 7.9% of the US population. Estimated associated healthcare costs are $159.5 billion each year. Treatment guidelines emphasize the correct type of insulin at the correct time; according to researchers, the method used to deliver the insulin may also have an impact on patient outcomes. Previous studies have shown that patients prefer using an insulin pen rather than the traditional syringe and vial. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ RELATED CONTENT Over-the-Counter Insulin Available for Patients with Diabetes Who Cannot Afford Prescription U.S. FDA approves Medtronic's 'artificial pancreas' for diabetes ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Researchers recently conducted a retrospective analysis to compare total direct healthcare charges and diabetes-related total direct healthcare charges among adults with T2DM who initiate therapy with mealtime insulin disposable pens or vials. They reported results of the analysis at a poster session at the AMCP meeting. The poster was titled The Association Between Use of Mealtime Insulin Pens versus Vials and Healthcare Charges in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes. The analysis compared the insurance claims of a nationwide sample of adults who initiated mealtime analog insulin therapy with a prefilled pen or conventional syringe and vial to assess the impact of th Continue reading >>
Soaring Insulin Prices Have Diabetics Feeling The Pain
Insulin price spike leads to lawsuitInsulin is fast becoming a medication that only the well-insured or well-heeled diabetic can afford. With the price of insulin more than tripling in a decade, some diabetics are having to make tough choices about how to pay for the medication. In some cases, diabetics are cutting back or even going without the drug. Many of the 26 million Americans with diabetes must use insulin daily to treat the disease, or else risk illnesses such as kidney failure and disabilities such as blindness. While American diabetics may have faced monthly costs of $100 to $200 several years ago, some are now grappling with costs of $400 to $500 per month. Insulin prices for American patients are far higher than in other countries, a recent survey of patients from the advocacy group T1International discovered. American diabetics said they pay $13.47 per milliliter for Eli Lilly’s (LLY) Humalog insulin, the highest price among the countries surveyed and about four times more than what Canadian diabetics pay. “People are suffering a lot,” said Allison Bailey, a college student in Iowa with Type 1 diabetes. “There are no generics. We have to go through these big companies, and they charge so much.” Bailey said she paid about $130 for several vials of Eli Lilly’s Humalog in 2010. This year, her insulin prescription has a price tag of about $495. She noted that she switched from using pump therapy in 2010 and now injects insulin with a pen, and that while the prices aren’t apples-to-apples, costs have overall sharply increased. She said she should go back to pump therapy, but she doesn’t believe she can afford it given the higher cost of insulin as well as the expense of a pump, which can cost more than $5,000. Others are also caught in a bind. B Continue reading >>
Novo Retiring Venerable Flexpen For New Touch
After a decade-long run, Novo Nordisk's FlexPen is being retired. Yes, one of the most popular insulin pens for people with diabetes is on the way out after more than 1 billion have been sold through the years. And here comes Novo's new next-gen FlexTouch. We first saw the new Novo FlexTouch debuted at the American Diabetes Association's 74th Scientific Sessions in June, where Novo asserted that after "years of feedback" from endos, educators and other health care professionals, several new features have been added to this new pen that make it stand out from its predecessor. Hmmm... patients weren't included in that feedback list? Apparently the perspective of people with diabetes wasn't worth hearing or recognizing when marketing this new FlexTouch to, well, us. So, what did these experts come up with? New Features This new pen — initially released prefilled with the basal insulin Levemir — sports one major game changer: how it delivers an injection. Novo has completely re-engineered the insulin pen so that dialing up a dose doesn't cause the traditional push-plunger to extend out of the back of t he pen. Now, this change might not make much of a difference for some of us type 1s, who use only 5, 10, 15, or 20 unit basal doses. But when you start getting into larger doses that are more common for type 2s, the push-button extension on the old FlexPen can actually add an inch-and-a-half to the length of the pen! This is one of those rare times that adding inches is a bad thing, as most people push that insulin pen plunger down with their thumb — meaning you might have to uncomfortably extend your thumb or even use two hands to dose your insulin from the pen. Not so with the new FlexTouch, that has a flat push-button you just hold down to deliver the dose. The new F Continue reading >>
- Pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk to invest £115m in a new UK drug research centre in post-Brexit 'vote of confidence'
- FDA approves Novo Nordisk diabetes drug Ozempic
- Macadamian’s My Diabetes Coach™ Receives Runner up and $15,000 in Novo Nordisk’s 2017 HITLAB World Cup of Voice-Activated Technology in Diabetes
Insulin Vials Vs. Insulin Cartridges: Further Cost Considerations
Go to: 1. Introduction Diabetes is difficult to control and treatment involves several approaches which are associated with different costs. In the Royal Medical Services (RMS), after diagnosis of the disease and by excluding the regular visits to the clinics, the core costs incurred by the RMS in diabetes treatment can be confined to the cost of medications dispensed to patients and hospitalization due to diabetes complications. Many patients need insulin in the regimen of diabetes treatment. For outpatients, insulin can be administered by two main approaches: traditional vials and cartridges. In the RMS, both approaches are available; however, it is believed that adopting one of these approaches could be more cost-effective from the RMS perspective. Both types of insulin packages contain 100 IU/ml of biphasic insulin aspart. The vial contains 10 ml (1000 IU), while the cartridge used to refill the pen contains 3 ml (300 IU). Although, it is assumed that both approaches produce the same pharmacological outcomes, the ease of use and patient adherence have been compared widely in the literature (Baser et al., 2010; Bohannon, 1999; Rakel, 2009). The comparison between these approaches strongly favors the use of cartridges due to many reasons, for example, pens provide more accurate dosing, less pain due to smaller needle gauge, increased social acceptability and better quality of life (Bohannon, 1999); moreover, patient adherence was improved by using pens without significant increase in the cost (Baser et al., 2010). A study conducted in Mayo Clinic found that converting patients to insulin pens provided an overall cost savings (Ward and Aton, 2011). Another study, in the USA, found that overall annual health care costs were significantly decreased by starting or convert Continue reading >>
Grudge Match: Pens Vs. Syringes
Taking insulin is a cornerstone of care for millions who have diabetes, and the most common method of insulin delivery in the U.S. is injection via needle and syringe. Roughly 20% of insulin users wear an insulin pump, 15% use insulin pens, and less than 1% use jet injectors. Insulin pumps can be expensive, with the average price hovering around $6,500, not including the disposable supplies that have to be replenished regularly, such as infusion sets, cartridges, and batteries. Although jet injectors may seem like a dream come true for patients who fear needles, they have been known to cause bruising and more pain than injections. The big question is why insulin pens are not more popular in the U.S., whereas in Europe and Japan, they comprise from 66% to 75% of insulin prescriptions. It’s not for lack of patient appreciation: In the November 2011 issue of the Journal of Diabetes Science and Technology, a review of 43 studies that compared patient- reported outcomes for insulin pen devices found that patients preferred pens over vial and syringe for myriad reasons, including ease of use, less pain, and greater perceived social acceptance. Indeed, patients are generally receptive to pen use — if their physicians bring it up. A study published in the March 2008 issue of Diabetes Care found that physician encouragement had a tremendous impact on pen use: Patients whose physicians discussed insulin pens were 100 times more likely to use an insulin pen than those whose physicians did not discuss pen use or who discouraged pen use. One reason pens have not caught on here may be payer reimbursement, says Maria J. Redondo, MD, PhD, MPH, assistant professor of pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston and co-author of the 43-study review. “Pens are more expensive Continue reading >>
What’s Behind Skyrocketing Insulin Prices?
Here’s a sticking point for diabetics: the cost of insulin more than tripled — from $231 to $736 a year per patient — between 2002 and 2013, according to a new analysis. The increase reflected rising prices for a milliliter of insulin, which climbed 197 percent from $4.34 per to $12.92 during the same period. Meanwhile, the amount of money spent by each patient on other diabetes medications fell 16 percent, to $502 from $600, according to a research letter published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association. “Insulin is a life-saving medication,” said Dr. William Herman, a coauthor of the analysis and a professor of epidemiology at the University of Michigan School of Public Health. “There are people with type 1 diabetes who will die without insulin. And while there have been incremental benefits in insulin products, prices have been rising. So there are people who can’t afford them. It’s a real problem.” The analysis also found that the cost of various widely used oral diabetes drugs either dropped in price or did not rise nearly as significantly as insulin. Metformin, for instance, which is available as a generic, fell to 31 cents in 2013 from $1.24 per tablet in 2002. And the newer class of diabetes drugs known as DPP-4 inhibitors rose 34 percent since becoming available in 2006. The researchers analyzed data from nearly 28,000 diabetes found in the Medical Expenditure Panel, a database on health care costs maintained by the US Department of Health and Human Services. About 1 in 4 people used insulin and two-thirds took a pill. Toward the end of the study period, a small percentage began taking new injectable medicines that are designed to complement pills. There have been previous efforts to track insulin prices in recent years, bu Continue reading >>
Is My Test, Item, Or Service Covered?
How often is it covered? Medicare Part B (Medical Insurance) doesn’t cover insulin (unless use of an insulin pump is medically necessary), insulin pens, syringes, needles, alcohol swabs, or gauze. Medicare prescription drug coverage (Part D) may cover insulin and certain medical supplies used to inject insulin, like syringes, gauze, and alcohol swabs. If you use an external insulin pump, insulin and the pump may be covered as durable medical equipment (DME). However, suppliers of insulin pumps may not necessarily provide insulin. For more information, see durable medical equipment. Your costs in Original Medicare You pay 100% for insulin (unless used with an insulin pump, then you pay 20% of the Medicare-approved amount, and the Part B deductible applies). You pay 100% for syringes and needles, unless you have Part D. To find out how much your specific test, item, or service will cost, talk to your doctor or other health care provider. The specific amount you’ll owe may depend on several things, like: Other insurance you may have How much your doctor charges Whether your doctor accepts assignment The type of facility The location where you get your test, item, or service Continue reading >>
Is An Insulin Pen Right For You?
Thinking About Trying an Insulin Pen? For decades, taking insulin required a syringe and a vial. Another option for taking insulin began about 20 years ago when the first insulin pen hit the market. Insulin pens, which look like oversize ink pens, generally contain 300 units of one type of insulin or a fixed combination of two insulins. The pen is a convenient, accurate, and discreet way to take insulin. The ability to quickly and easily deliver a dose of insulin wherever and whenever you need is the pen's biggest advantage. Also, if you lack dexterity in your fingers, an insulin pen might be easier for you to manage than a vial and syringe. "When a person's health plan will cover pens, I try to prescribe them," says cardiologist Steven Nash, M.D., of Manlius, New York. "I think they're much easier to use than syringes." Insulin pens are also great for traveling because they're small and can be kept at room temperature. "My insulin pen has made taking insulin easier," says Marsha LaClair, 41, of Austin, Texas, who has type 1 diabetes. "I travel frequently, and now packing to manage my diabetes is a breeze." Reusable and Disposable Pens Insulin pens fall into two categories: reusable and disposable. Reusable insulin pens use replaceable cartridges filled with insulin; they usually contain 300 units of insulin each. When the cartridge is empty, or if you've stored your pen and cartridge at room temperature for more than 28 days, the cartridge is discarded and a new one is inserted. The more commonly used disposable pens come prefilled with insulin. When the pen is empty or has been stored at room temperature for more than 28 days, discard the whole pen. However, insulin pens do not come with a needle attached. You need to attach an insulin-pen needle to the end of the pen Continue reading >>
The Cost Of Insulin
The price of insulin has more than tripled in ten years. Not everybody pays full price, but many find the cost of insulin complicates their life. This week, we’ll cover why insulin prices are so high. Next week, we’ll address what to do about it. According to this story on CBS News, people with diabetes are “cutting back [on their insulin doses] or even going without the drug,” putting them at greater risk for complications. Insulin costs have soared from $100–$200 per month a few years ago to $400–$500 a month now. CBS News quotes a college student saying her bill for insulin has risen from $130 to $495 per month. She has given up her insulin pump and gone back to injections because of expense. One of her friends has cut her dose down to 80% of what’s ordered to save money. This has become common practice for many. A doctor in Montana reported that insulin prices greatly complicate people’s care. “I have patients who tell me that they have to make a decision between food and insulin, and their rent and insulin.” Why is this happening? When insulin was discovered the 1920s, the doctors who found it gave it away. It immediately started saving lives for people with Type 1 diabetes. Now insulin has become a $24-billion-a-year market globally and is predicted to pass $48 billion in only five more years. And people around the world who need it can’t afford it. There are several causes for the price spikes, but many of them come down to America’s pretend “free market” approach to health care. We are seeing these problems now with the controversy over one brand of epinephrine injections, whose manufacturer increased their price by 500% and then paid their CEO a nearly $19 million salary. Here are some ways American economics are making insulin unaff Continue reading >>
Vetpen® Is The First And Only Insulin Pen Designed Exclusively For Diabetic Pets.
Go to site For Pet Owners For years, insulin pens have made it easier for human diabetics to manage their diabetes. VetPen allows pet owners to enjoy the same convenience and accuracy when managing their pet’s diabetes. Designed specifically for use with Vetsulin®, VetPen makes giving insulin injections to pets more convenient and more accurate than using vials and syringes. Enables pets to receive more accurate doses consistently. Precision instrumentation allows the same dose to be easily set by simply turning a dial, minimizing the chance for dosing errors Great for small doses—VetPen enables precise doses to be selected down to 0.5 units Even when doses were drawn up by trained laboratory technicians, syringes were found to deliver at least 20% to 25% more insulin than needed for a 1-unit dose11 Provides greater convenience. Ergonomically designed for easy handling, even for owners with visual or manual dexterity issues Multi-dose insulin cartridges require fewer steps to prepare doses once primed (air removed) Portability allows owners to give their pets injections anywhere (refrigeration of cartridges is recommended during storage and usage) 97% of pet owners reported that VetPen was easy to use overall and they had no difficulty learning how to use VetPen3 Helps make insulin injections more comfortable. Less intimidating in appearance, VetPen may help alleviate the fears and concerns owners may have using insulin syringes Minimizes pet discomfort thanks to specially lubricated and triple-sharpened needles that lessen the penetration force 42% of VetPen users with diabetic cats reported that their pets' response to injections improved when injections were given using VetPen instead of syringes3 Available in 2 sizes. 8 IU VetPen with dosing increments of 0.5 I Continue reading >>
Insulin Pens: Improving Adherence And Reducing Costs
The advantages offered by insulin pens may help improve patient adherence. Currently 8.3% of the United States adult population, or 25.8 million people, have diabetes. Of these cases, more than 90% are cases of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and at least 1 million are estimated to be cases of type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). Although a variety of oral medications are available for patients with diabetes, insulins remain an important component of treatment.1,2 Insulins are the standard therapy in patients with T1DM and are ultimately used in patients with T2DM who do not respond adequately to other treatment modalities. Although in some settings insulins may be administered intravenously (eg, with an insulin pump), the vast majority of insulin administrations are subcutaneous injections.1,2 Available Forms and Administration In the United States, 2 types of insulins are available: recombinant human insulins and insulin analogs. Recombinant human insulin is available from 2 manufacturers (Humulin by Eli Lilly and Novolin by Novo Nordisk); each of these is available in a regular form and in a longer-acting neutral protamine hagedorn (NPH) form. Unlike recombinant human insulins, insulin analogs are structurally modified forms of insulin that are designed to either lower blood sugar rapidly or maintain low blood sugar levels over time. These insulin analogs may be classified as rapid-acting and long-acting insulins. Rapid-acting insulins include insulin lispro, insulin aspart, and insulin glulisine, and long-acting insulins include insulin glargine and insulin detemir. Premixed formulations of insulin are also available.1,2 Regardless of the differences between insulin formulations, all conventional types of insulin can be administered subcutaneously. Subcutaneous injectio Continue reading >>
Is The Insulin Pen Mightier Than The Syringe?
Is the Insulin Pen Mightier Than the Syringe? Is the Insulin Pen Mightier Than the Syringe? Nonadherence to antidiabetic therapies represents a major challenge to clinicians treating patients with diabetes. Adherence rates range from 62% to 64% for patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) taking insulin therapy .1 Barriers to adherence include "complicated regimens, fear of injection pain, social embarrassment, lack of confidence about self-injection, perception of injectable therapy as inconvenient, and belief that insulin use is the last resort."2 Additional barriers to adherence are patients' fears about insulin-induced hypoglycemia3 and physicians' delay of initiation of insulin therapy, due to concerns about nonadherence.4 Improving adherence to medication regimens is critical, as nonadherence leads to poorer glycemic control and increased risk of diabetic complications.2 POLL: Which Are Better: Syringes, or Insulin Pens? Vote Now! Moreover, greater medication adherence has been found to be associated not only with improved glycemic control but also with decreased health care utilization.5 Therefore, it is important to examine the most effective means of increasing adherence in patients with T2DM. Insulin pen devices incorporate the insulin and syringe in a single unit and have been found to address some of the barriers to adherence, as compared to conventional vials/syringes.2 Reasons that patients prefer pen devices include that they are easier to use, are more discrete, and elicit less fear in terms of self-injection.2 Additionally, pens may have greater dosing accuracy, compared with vials and syringes.2 Several observational studies have found greater adherence with insulin pens than with vials/syringes.6,7,8,9 Although insulin pens are associated with h Continue reading >>
- Common Insulin Pen Errors: Diabetes Questions & Answers
- NIHR Signal Insulin pumps not much better than multiple injections for intensive control of type 1 diabetes
- Xultophy® Reported a Better Option than Basal-Bolus Insulin Therapy to Manage Type 2 Diabetes by Participants in the DUAL VII Clinical Trial
