Smart Insulin Pen Helps Users Make Better Dosing Decisions

An integrated system provides real-time glucose readings alongside insulin dose information for people on multiple daily injections (MDI).

The Medtronic (Dublin, Ireland) InPen with Guardian Connect links wirelessly to a smartphone device in order to provide dosing calculations and reminders, integrating concomitantly with continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) systems. The companion app tracks insulin doses, active insulin, and recommendations on meal time and correct dosing. The integration with Medtronic CGMs allows patients to see all their information in one view, and share the data with caregivers and clinicians.

The InPen is compatible with short-acting Humalog, Novolog, and Fiasp U-100 3.0 mL insulin cartridges. The InPen app also allows users to manually log long-acting insulin doses and set up dose reminders. A built-in customizable calculator helps choose among three different modes, based on carbohydrate content. Additional features include temperature monitoring, an automated month-long notebook, and integration with most Bluetooth-connected glucose meters. Multiple InPens can be connected to a single app.

“We’re pleased to build on the success of InPen with added real-time glucose data, which provides a complete picture for users as they look to give themselves the right dose of insulin at the right time,” said Sean Salmon, executive VP and president of the diabetes business at Medtronic. “Our successful integration of these devices in just two months following the close of Companion Medical acquisition is a testament to the close collaboration of our employees and strong passion to serve our customers with better solutions to manage their diabetes.”

The traditional standard-of-care for glucose monitoring is a finger stick meter. CGM thus represents the most significant breakthrough in diabetes management in the past 40 years, augmenting the use of glucose meters for the management of diabetes by providing real-time glucose changes with the push of a button, alerting users when glucose is too low or too high.