Precision insulin management using smart pens: innovating insulin injection therapy for diabetes

The latest wave of connected insulin delivery devices promises to change the daily routine. A state-of-the-art insulin pen connects seamlessly with a user-friendly smartphone application to help people with diabetes optimize insulin delivery. This smart system calculates and monitors dose while providing useful alerts, notifications and comprehensive analysis. These solutions can be offered as an add-on for insulin pens or as a reusable device with pre-filled cartridges, differentiating them from traditional vials or disposable pens. In our department, we enrolled 15 diabetics (8 men/7 women) affected by type 1 diabetes to use the smart insulin pens from November 2023. The average age of the patients was 35 years (+/-15). After three months of using the smart insulin pen in combination with continuous glucose monitoring (CGM), we evaluated the metabolic profile and found an improvement in glycemic control. Time spent in “time in range” (TIR) improved from baseline to follow-up, with a corresponding decrease in time spent above range (TBR) (181-250 mg/dL) and hypoglycemia (<54 mg/dL) and no change in time spent in stage 2 hypoglycemia (54-69 mg/dL). Specifically, TIR improved from 57% to 74%, TAR (181-250 mg/dL) improved from 24% to 13%, and TBR improved from 11% to 8%. The number of missed bolus injections decreased by 34% over the course of the study. We also saw an improvement in GMI and HbA1c in the blood tests, with HbA1c dropping from 57 mmol/mol to 50 mmol/mol. The SmartPen in combination with a CGM offers a number of advantages, including the precision of insulin dosing, automatic recording of glucose levels and easy monitoring through dedicated mobile apps. This promising device revolutionizes the daily management of type 1 diabetes, offering patients greater convenience, better quality of life, accuracy and control over their blood glucose levels.