Eli Lilly has launched a new insulin delivery device, the HumaPen Memoir, in the UK, which it hopes will help encourage better treatment compliance and therefore reduce the risk of long-term complications associated with diabetes.
The company says that the HumaPen Memoir is currently the only available insulin device with a digital memory to help patients remember the time, date and amount of the last 16 insulin doses delivered, and this, coupled with a new ‘dialling’ system to ensure the right dose is taken every time, should help patients to achieve better control of their blood sugar levels.
“I often get phone calls from patients who can’t remember if they have had their insulin dose or not and asking what they should do in those circumstances,” commented Sam Rosindale, a Diabetes Specialist Nurse at Torbay Hospital, adding that the new device “is not only helpful to patients but increases their confidence and provides reassurance.”
And Simon O’ Neill, Director of Care, Information and Advocacy Services, Diabetes UK, remarked: “For many people with diabetes, taking insulin is an essential element of their treatment. We welcome the development of any device which helps to make this part of their life easier to manage.”
A spokeswoman for Lilly told PharmaTimes UK News that the new HumaPen Memoir is currently only available on a sampling basis, whereby healthcare professionals can sample the pen with their patients free of charge. A full roll-out is scheduled for May, she said, by which time the National Health Service cost of the device will have been set.
New diabetes tsar for UK
Meanwhile, the Department of Health has named Dr Rowan Hillson as the new National Clinical Director for Diabetes. She takes over from Dr Sue Roberts, who is retiring from the post as well as from her role as a consultant with Northumbria NHS Trust.
Commenting on her appointment, Dr Hillson, a consultant Physician and Diabetologist at The Hillingdon Hospital, London, said: “The importance of good diabetes services cannot be underestimated, and I look forward to working with both people with diabetes and health professionals to continue to improve diabetes care nationally”.
