A myriad of benefits come along with the combined technology behind smart pens:<\/p>\n
1.\u00a0Accuracy. <\/strong><\/p>\n No more manually calculating insulin doses. Smart pens, in conjunction with apps, automatically import glucose readings, calculate recommended dosages, and keep track of insulin dose history to avoid mistakes.<\/p>\n 2. Memory. \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Trying to find a pen and jotting dosages down in a notebook that you may later misplace? Nope. Smart pens track dose history and timing, for many months at a time, using Bluetooth-connected apps. So you don\u2019t\u2019 have to remember.<\/p>\n 3. Data-sharing. <\/strong><\/p>\n Because they automatically record dosages and connect through apps, smart pens can be programmed to share vital information with medical professionals, family members, or other caregivers. Visits to the doctor are much easier when dosage records are kept, allowing doctors to have greater insight into medical needs. \u00a0<\/p>\n 4. Cost. <\/strong><\/p>\n When compared to a pump, the smart pen offers all of the benefits with a less shocking price tag. Smart pens are now covered by some major insurers (such as Cigna and United Healthcare) with co-pays as low as $0 and up to a few hundred. Without insurance, smart pens cost around $500.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Here\u2019s what is currently on offer today in the US:<\/p>\n Created as an add-on, this device plugs into insulin pens and works in conjunction with the Diabnext mobile app. Users pay an up-front fee for the hardware and then a subscription fee to continue using the app. This add-on will:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Other smart pens are available in other parts of the world by various companies who may eventually seek to bring them to the US.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Here\u2019s a taste of what a few companies have in the works for the future of smart pens:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n With a mission to make lives healthier, safer, and easier, Bigfoot Biomedical is in the process of developing fully-integrated, highly scalable systems to deliver the benefits of automated insulin delivery to pen users.<\/p>\n Melissa Lee, of Bigfoot, states that the company is preparing for a commercial launch in 2020. \u201cWe\u2019re designing our systems to passively collect glucose and insulin information with the intent to then automatically display insulin dosing guidance based on that data,\u201d Lee recently shared. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Bigfoot\u2019s systems are being designed to integrate the FreeStyle Libre glucose sensor from Abbott, a Bluetooth-connected blood glucose meter, and a specialized rapid-acting and long-acting Bluetooth pen cap that can be used with a variety of disposable insulin pens. <\/p>\n The end of 2017 brought an announcement from Lilly that it has an integrated insulin management system in the works, combining a connected insulin pen with technology to sense glucose, along with software that offers dosing recommendations. This would be expected in the next couple of years, depending on FDA approval.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Previously cooperating to produce a special app for insulin pen users (C4C), the two companies now seem to be in cahoots in releasing a smart pen to the US market. Having already launched in Europe, the answer to when a smart pen might be approved by the FDA is unclear, but it\u2019s certainly worth watching for.<\/p>\n <\/p>\nCurrent Smart Pens On The Market<\/strong><\/h2>\n
InPen by Companion Medical <\/strong><\/h3>\n
![\"inpen\"](\"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/inpen-210x300.jpeg\")
Launching the first Bluetooth-enabled insulin pen on the market just last year, Companion Medical is on the cutting edge. When combined with a health management app on a smartphone, this smart pen:<\/p>\n\n
Clipsulin by Diabnext<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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What\u2019s Coming Up<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Bigfoot Biomedical <\/strong><\/h3>\n
\n<\/strong><\/p>\nLilly <\/strong><\/h3>\n
Novo Nordisk and Glooko <\/strong><\/h3>\n