NovoPen® 6, China's First Connectable Smart Insulin Pen, Launches to Enhance Diabetes Digital Management

VCBeat has learned that Novo Nordisk recently announced its self-developed and manufactured smart insulin pen, NovoPen^®6. Officially launched in China. As China's first smart insulin pen with connectivity and data transmission capabilities^*, NovoPen^®6. Capable of automatically recording and transmitting insulin injection data, digitizing injection behavior, and improving patient treatment adherence. NovoPen^®The digital capabilities of 6 serve as a significant complement to the diabetes digital ecosystem, enabling closed-loop management of diabetes.

As the country with the largest number of diabetes patients, China has approximately 140 million adult diabetes patients.¹. Among them, only about half of the treated patients achieved target glycemic control.²Missed injections are one of the important causes of this problem. A multinational survey showed that 1/3 of diabetic patients missed insulin injections for at least one day in the past month, with an average of 3.3 days per month not following medical advice for insulin injections.³. Manually recording insulin administration is not only cumbersome and time-consuming, making it difficult for patients to maintain long-term adherence, but also inconvenient for physicians to review.

It is worth noting that missed insulin injections pose a hidden risk to achieving treatment goals: they lead to poor glycemic control in patients and increase the risk of complications.⁴, posing challenges to the long-term management of diabetes. Furthermore, physicians are unable to determine whether poor glycemic control is attributable to issues with the treatment regimen or to missed injections, thereby hindering the formulation of precise therapeutic decisions.

Professor Ji Linong, Director of the Department of Endocrinology, Peking University People's Hospital“Diabetes is a complex chronic disease. As physicians, we frequently remind patients that effective and safe glycemic control, as well as reduction in the incidence of complications, can only be achieved through timely and standardized insulin injections and dynamic adjustment of insulin doses. However, missed injections are common in actual clinical practice. We hope that patients can master essential self-management skills and leverage digital management tools to enhance adherence and treatment precision in key areas such as insulin injection, blood glucose monitoring, and dose adjustment, thereby deriving greater benefit from treatment and improving disease prognosis.”

The ongoing integration of digital technologies with existing diabetes diagnosis and treatment regimens is empowering healthcare providers and patients to leverage digital tools for a more manageable and confident approach to the “protracted battle” against diabetes. Marking another milestone in Novo Nordisk’s digital innovation, the NovoPen^®6. Digitalizing insulin injection behavior through precise memory and intelligent connectivity. At the level of memory function, NovoPen^®6. Capable of accurately recording up to nearly 800 insulin administrations, including injection time and dose, thereby alleviating patients’ “memory uncertainty.” The dose memory function of the injection pen supports Near Field Communication (NFC) technology. Leveraging its connectivity features, the NovoPen^®6. It can connect to smart devices such as NFC-enabled mobile phones, allowing insulin injection records to be transmitted to smartphones and other devices with a simple tap. Patients can use the NovoPen^®6. Conveniently query historical insulin injection data via the partner app.

Through digital health apps such as “Zhiyun Health,” NovoPen^®6. Automatically generates visualized injection logs, facilitating physicians’ understanding of patients’ actual insulin injection practices during clinical care, thereby enabling precise adjustment of treatment plans and promoting more efficient doctor-patient communication.

Professor Ji Linong, Director of the Department of Endocrinology, Peking University People's Hospitalstated: “NovoPen^®6. Such smart insulin pens will become an important component of the digital diabetes management ecosystem. On one hand, NovoPen^®6. It can automatically record the time and dosage of insulin injections for patients, empowering them in self-disease management. On the other hand, patients can present these data to their physicians, enabling the physicians to assess treatment adherence and provide targeted assistance to improve both adherence and disease management skills. More importantly, accurate recording of insulin injection dosages and timing allows physicians to make more precise adjustments to insulin regimens, thereby achieving better glycemic control.

NovoPen^®6. Achieving a New Breakthrough in the Digital Management of DiabetesAs chronic disease prevention and control shift from disease treatment to health management, Novo Nordisk is collaborating with partners to accelerate digital innovation and build an integrated “online + offline” digital model for chronic disease management. This initiative aims to enhance patients’ understanding of their condition and improve treatment adherence. The “Novo Care” mini-program facilitates precise self-management for patients through intelligent companion-style management, professional consultation and Q&A services, and various patient care modules. Its embedded intelligent Q&A bot, “Teacher Xiao Nuo,” provides patients with professional and efficient diabetes consultation and Q&A services 24/7. Meanwhile, “Diabetes Net,” a long-standing online knowledge service platform for Chinese individuals with diabetes, continues to disseminate authoritative diabetes knowledge and promote correct treatment concepts.

Zhou Xiaping, Senior Vice President of Novo Nordisk Worldwide and President of Greater Chinastated: “As a global leader in diabetes care, Novo Nordisk remains patient-centric, dedicated to driving change and joining forces to defeat diabetes. For nearly a century, every iteration of insulin injection devices has aimed to better address patients’ unmet medical needs. Advances in digital technology have propelled insulin injection devices forward by a significant leap. As an important complement to the digital ecosystem for diabetes management, we hope that NovoPen^®6. To benefit more Chinese patients with diabetes and provide healthcare professionals with more convenient intelligent options for glycemic control. In the future, Novo Nordisk will collaborate with partners to accelerate digital innovation, further expand the ecosystem for digital diabetes management, and actively contribute to achieving the targets for diabetes awareness and standardized management rates outlined in the Healthy China Action (2019–2030).

NovoPen^®6. As China’s first smart insulin pen with connectivity and data transmission capabilities, it can accurately and intuitively display the time elapsed since the last injection and the dosage administered, store nearly 800 injection records, and help patients maintain a three-month injection history. Meanwhile, the NovoPen^®The dose memory function of 6 supports Near Field Communication (NFC) technology, enabling the transfer of injection history from the injection pen to smart devices, where injection data can be reviewed via a partnered app.

Novo Nordisk, founded in 1923, is a global leading biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Denmark. Our mission is to drive change and work together to defeat diabetes and other serious chronic diseases, including obesity, rare blood disorders, and rare endocrine disorders. To achieve this goal, we pioneer scientific breakthroughs, expand access to our medicines, and are committed to preventing and ultimately curing diseases. Novo Nordisk employs approximately 50,800 people across 80 countries and regions, and provides products and services to around 170 countries and regions worldwide. Novo Nordisk China Official Website:http://www.novonordisk.com.cn

References:
* On January 14, 2022, a search of the NMPA website revealed NovoPen^®6. China’s First Smart Insulin Pen with Connectivity and Data Transmission Capabilities

1、 IDF Diabetes Atlas 2021, 10th edition. https://diabetesatlas.org/atlas/tenth-edition/    

2、 Wang L, et al. JAMA. 2021, 326(24):2498-2506.

3、 Peyrot M, et al. Diabet Med. 2012; 29(5):682-9.

4、 Adolfsson P,et al. Diabetes Technol Ther. 2020; 22(10):709-718.