March 19, 2001: Nordisk Pharmaceuticals Inc., the U.S. affiliate of Novo Nordisk , received approval from the Food and Drug Administration to market its Dial-a-Dose insulin delivery device in the U.S. The company expects the product to come to market later this year. 

Being involved with diabetes care has been an exciting time over the last 5 years.  It seems that at least every week something new comes out that causes patients to ask questions.  But it has sometimes been very difficult to get the answers as fast as the patients see new products on TV.  That is one of the reasons we started the newsletter Diabetes In Control.com.  Our goal is to provide you the answers before you get the questions. 

This feature will highlight a new insulin dosing product developed by Novo Nordisk that you will get questions on before it hits the street. 

Digital Dosing:

Innovo is the first of a new generation of insulin injection systems. The features of Innovo offers benefits that differ from all other insulin injection systems, and the short and compact design makes it easy to inject insulin discretely. The built-in memory in Innovo electronically displays the dose amount and elapsed time since the last dose helping patients to better manage their insulin therapy. Innovo uses Novolin(r) PenFill(r) cartridges.

According to the Novo’s President, Martin Soeters,  "Innovo was designed to enhance the management of diabetes therapy by helping patients to comply with their insulin regimen." 

Innovo® represents a whole new approach to insulin delivery and hopes to bring major benefits to patient  but, what specific benefits does it offer?

Innovo® takes its name from the word 'innovation'. The design process began in the mid-1990s with the goal of designing a new insulin delivery system that would help patients comply with insulin therapy - a delivery system that would make it easier for patients to start on and manage their insulin therapy.  One of the most striking features of Innovo^® is its built-in memory. The easy-to-read display tells patients how long ago they took their last insulin dose, and the amount of the last dose. This can help eliminate the worry about missed injections and improve patient compliance.

The first step in the development of Innovo® was to talk to patients and healthcare professionals in order to identify the problems with the insulin delivery systems they were currently using.  The resulting product has the following key benefits:

The Innovo® will be in distribution later this year and watch for a advertising blitz that will have your patients asking you questions.  Now you can be prepared. 

They will have a presence at the ADA and AADE conventions later this year.

Some Comments from Nurses who had a chance to use the Innovo®

The memory feature is wonderful… will be useful to people of all age groups."

"Innovo® is easier to load than pens…this will benefit many patients, for instance elderly patients or those with neuropathy."

“The fact that large doses can be injected without any extra extension of the thumb will be useful to patients on insulin doses over 40 units."

"The memory feature will mean fewer patients ringing nurses for advice because they are unsure if they took their last dose."

"The appearance of Innovo® is quite unlike a syringe and the needle is not obvious. This will help people who feel embarrassed by their injections."

"The fact that one cannot accidentally overdose will be reassuring to many people."

“Innovo® will help people who are unsure how long they should leave the needle in place following an injection."

"Innovo® may reduce injection site bruising as it cannot be pushed in too far."

For more information you can go to www.innovo.com