Novo Nordisk's Smart Insulin Pens NovoPen 6 and NovoPen Echo Plus Now Integrated with Diasend Platform for Automated Dose Tracking

In October 2018, Novo Nordisk launched two smart insulin pens, NovoPen 6 and NovoPen Echo Plus, marking its first step into the digital diabetes care market. That same month, the company announced partnerships with three digital diabetes health companies—Dexcom, Glooko, and Roche—and reached an agreement with Flex Digital Health, a specialist in managing digital health devices, to utilize its BrightInsight platform. This platform focuses on ensuring connectivity and regulatory compliance for digital health devices.

VCBeat (WeChat Official Account: vcbeat) learned from foreign media that on the morning of February 18, 2019, diabetes technology company Glooko announced it would connect two insulin pens launched by Novo Nordisk to its own diabetes management platform, Diasend. Diabetes patients using the NovoPen 6 and NovoPen Echo Plus insulin pens can upload their real-time blood glucose monitoring data to the Diasend platform.

Diasend is a cloud-based data platform developed by Glooko that provides diabetes management solutions. Patients with diabetes can upload their health data anytime and anywhere, enabling clear and intuitive monitoring of blood glucose levels. On average, individuals with diabetes spend over an hour each day on self-care and make more than 50 care-related decisions. The Diasend platform helps alleviate this burden by leveraging its digital health solutions to identify medication regimens with high adherence.

“Glooko CEO Russ Johannesson stated in a press release, ‘Our partnership with Novo Nordisk enables seamless synchronization of patients’ insulin data to the cloud platform, allowing patients and caregivers to easily access blood glucose-related data and facilitating more effective diabetes treatment plans.’”

“Even with the availability of oral insulin formulations, many patients with diabetes still fail to achieve adequate glycemic control,” said Anders Dyhr Toft, Vice President at Novo Nordisk. “Patients with diabetes often struggle to administer their prescribed insulin doses accurately and may even skip injections. The two insulin pens launched by Novo Nordisk can connect to smartphones, helping patients better monitor their blood glucose levels.”

NovoPen 6 and NovoPen Echo Plus, two smart insulin pens, can automatically record patients’ real-time insulin injection doses. For patients requiring multiple daily injections, these devices help prevent missed or forgotten doses and enable users to review their insulin injection reports, thereby further optimizing treatment.

It is worth noting that the NovoPen 6 and NovoPen Echo Plus insulin pens do not require charging to maintain a five-year service life and record up to 800 injection doses. Both are equipped with NFC (Near Field Communication) technology, enabling wireless data transmission when the two insulin pens are in close proximity.

Novo Nordisk plans to launch NovoPen 6 and NovoPen Echo Plus in more than 50 countries worldwide in the first half of 2019, replacing the currently available NovoPen 5 and NovoPen Echo insulin pens. NovoPen 6 and NovoPen Echo Plus have already received CE certification in Europe.

In addition, Novo Nordisk plans to launch another disposable insulin-connected pen in the second half of 2019, providing a smart connection between reusable insulin pens and disposable insulin pens.

Novo Nordisk is a world-leading biopharmaceutical company, founded in 1923 and headquartered in Denmark. With over ninety years of experience in insulin research and development, the company holds a global leadership position in diabetes treatment. Novo Nordisk pioneered the introduction of long-acting insulin, premixed insulin, highly purified insulin, human insulin, and insulin injection pens. Furthermore, the company was the first to launch a new class of oral hypoglycemic agents—NovoNorm (repaglinide)—significantly advancing the treatment and control of diabetes and improving the quality of life for patients. In addition, Novo Nordisk maintains a leading global position in many other areas, including coagulation therapy, growth health, and hormone replacement therapy.

Glooko is a universal diabetes platform that provides solutions for patients to improve their diabetes symptoms. The Diasend platform, developed by Glooko, can connect to various smart devices, including fitness equipment and activity trackers, and provide timely feedback on user information such as glucose levels, insulin content, blood pressure, diet, and weight. It has been widely recognized by diabetes care professionals worldwide.

The company was founded in 2010 and is headquartered in San Francisco, USA. Currently, Glooko has more than 7,000 clinical pilot sites and over 1.5 million users across 23 countries.

(Editor: Wang Chan)