Global healthcare company Novo Nordisk has obtained an approval from Health Canada for the Levemir FlexTouch, a new disposable insulin injection pen device for use in insulin-treated patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Novo Nordisk's Levemir FlexTouch features a push-button that does not extend at any set dose.
The insulin pen also features a unique spring-loaded mechanism, in which the injection is driven by a torque spring rather than the user's thumb pressure.
The torque spring of the pen is loaded when the dose is adjusted/set/filled and when the pushbutton is pressed, spring energy is activated.
Effectively, the injection force of FlexTouch is much lower than other widely used prefilled pens, thus allowing users to use the pen easily, claims the company.
LMC Endocrinology Centre co-director Dr Robert Schlosser noted that insulin treatment regimens can present challenges for many Canadians living with type 1 or type 2 diabetes, such as the convenience of insulin delivery, anxiety associated with injections or the confidence in injection accuracy.
"The approval of Levemir FlexTouch can help to address these prescribed a long-acting basal insulin, resulting in improved treatment adherence," Dr Schlosser added.
Levemir (insulin detemir) is a sterile long-acting basal insulin analogue solution indicated for treating patients with type 1 or type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Health Canada also approved Novo Nordisk's NovoRapid FlexTouch in 2012, which is claimed to be the first pre?lled insulin pen without a push-button extension for NovoRapid.
NovoRapid is used to treat diabetes mellitus patients who require insulin for the control of hyperglycemia.
