Lilly Introduces World's First Digital Insulin Pen With Memory
February 22 2007 - 8:00AM
PR Newswire (US)
HumaPen(R) MEMOIR(TM) is Sleek, High-Tech Device for Delivery of
Insulin at Mealtimes INDIANAPOLIS, Feb. 22 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/
-- Eli Lilly and Company today announced the launch of the first
insulin pen with memory, HumaPen(R) MEMOIR(TM), to help simplify
the daily management of diabetes. (Photo:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070222/DCTH007-a
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070222/DCTH007-b ) MEMOIR is
designed to meet the needs of people with diabetes who take several
shots of mealtime insulin each day. It presents sophisticated
technology and features in a consumer-friendly "push-to-know"
digital display that allows patients to record and review their
last 16 insulin doses, including the priming doses. Many insulin
users need multiple shots per day, so the ability to record doses
and the time of the dose may help simplify the daily management of
diabetes. This is especially important for both patients and
physicians when developing a diabetes treatment plan that utilizes
accurate recording of mealtime doses. MEMOIR is now available by
prescription in pharmacies nationwide for use with Humalog(R)
(insulin lispro injection [rDNA origin]), the most-prescribed
mealtime insulin in the United States. Lilly also announced today
that it will launch an insulin pen that delivers Humalog in smaller
increments, HumaPen(R) LUXURA(TM) HD, in April 2007. LUXURA HD is a
reusable pen that can deliver from 1-to-30 units of Humalog in
half-unit increments, beginning after the first unit. This type of
pen may be attractive to people with diabetes that do not need
large amounts of insulin, or parents of some children with
diabetes. LUXURA HD will require a prescription. Insulin pens were
developed on the premise that delivery devices that are more
acceptable to patients could improve patient compliance and make a
positive contribution to long-term diabetes control. (1) Unlike
traditional insulin pens or vial and syringe, MEMOIR doesn't
resemble a medical instrument. MEMOIR, which is reusable, is sleek
and designed to resemble a writing pen, enabling the potential for
more discreet injections in public compared to using a vial and
syringe. In a clinical study of experienced pen users, 81 percent
of patients preferred MEMOIR over the pen they were using before
joining the study. MEMOIR was considered easier and more convenient
to use than the pre-study pen and rated higher for certain pen
features and most tasks related to dosing.1 MEMOIR was developed in
partnership with Battelle Medical Device Solutions, a leader in
device innovation based in Columbus, Ohio. Of the 21 million people
with diabetes in the United States, more than four million
currently use insulin to help manage their blood sugar. "I see real
advantages in a new tool such as MEMOIR that remembers recent
insulin doses, including the priming doses. The daily routine of
balancing meals and blood sugar readings with multiple insulin
injections can be cumbersome and overwhelming for patients," said
Linda Siminerio, PhD, assistant professor of medicine and executive
director, University of Pittsburgh Diabetes Institute; and senior
vice president, International Diabetes Federation. "Anything that
helps simplify the management of this disease and puts patients in
a better position to self-manage is beneficial." "As a busy college
student, I'm not always thinking about how much insulin I took at
my last meal," said Reuben Bresler, a 20-year-old from Columbus,
Ohio, with type 1 diabetes and one of the first people in the U.S.
to receive a MEMOIR pen. "MEMOIR helps me keep track of my insulin
doses if I forget whether I've taken it -- or how much I took. I
also like that it looks like a writing pen instead of a medical
instrument. I can just take it out, use it and not feel
self-conscious." Patient Needs Drive Innovation in Device
Technology Precise meal-by-meal blood sugar management is important
in diabetes management. However, despite new treatment options that
have become available during the past few years, the American
Diabetes Association's recommended blood sugar goal -- an A1C level
of less than 7 percent -- remains elusive for many with diabetes
(A1C is a measure of average blood glucose levels over a
two-to-three-month period). (2) Fewer than half (43 percent) of
Americans who have been diagnosed with and are being treated for
diabetes are actually achieving this A1C target. (3) To understand
current behaviors and how specific pen features could help patients
manage their diabetes, Lilly sponsored a national, 1,000-person
telephone survey4 of people with diabetes who inject insulin at
least once a day. The survey, conducted by Kelton Research in
January 2007, showed that, not surprisingly, respondents were
interested in new tools that could help them better manage their
disease: Memory can help -- Two-thirds of respondents said a
reusable pen that tracks the date, time and dose of insulin would
be valuable. -- One-third of patients reported that they forgot
whether they took their insulin dose at least once a month; of
these, 84 percent said a memory feature would be valuable. -- More
than 9 in 10 (94 percent) said it is important to know if they
missed an insulin dose. Looks matter too: Style and design
considerations -- 58 percent of those surveyed said they would be
interested in using an insulin delivery device that looked like a
writing pen instead of a medical instrument. -- More than four in
10 said that a stylish looking pen would make them feel more
comfortable injecting insulin in a public place. "Individuals with
diabetes face unique challenges in managing this highly complex and
personal disease. Practical and innovative solutions such as
Lilly's new MEMOIR pen can help ease the management of diabetes at
mealtimes," said Matt Beebe, Humalog brand team leader, Lilly USA.
"Our goal is to help patients more accurately and discreetly manage
their use of mealtime insulin such as Humalog." Lilly continues to
develop new insulin delivery devices to meet the needs of people
with diabetes. To learn more about Humalog and HumaPen MEMOIR,
visit Humalog.com. Indication Humalog is for use in patients with
diabetes to control high blood sugar and should be used with a
longer-acting insulin, except when used in combination with
sulfonylureas in patients with type 2 diabetes. Important safety
information for Humalog Humalog should not be used during episodes
of hypoglycemia and in patients sensitive to Humalog or one of its
excipients. Safety and effectiveness in patients less than three
years of age have not been established. There are no clinical
studies of the use of Humalog in pregnancy or nursing mothers.
Potential side effects associated with the use of all insulins
include low blood sugar, weight gain, low blood potassium, changes
in fat tissue at the site of injection, and allergic reactions,
both general and local. Starting or changing insulin therapy should
be done cautiously and only under medical supervision. Humalog
starts working quickly because it is absorbed quickly. That's why
you should use it at mealtime and take it within 15 minutes before
or immediately after your meal. Because Humalog is a mealtime
insulin, you may also need a longer-acting insulin to get the best
blood sugar control (except when using an insulin pump). For
complete user instructions for HumaPen MEMOIR, please refer to the
full user manual provided with the pen. Humalog, HumaPen MEMOIR and
HumaPen LUXURA HD require a prescription. For additional important
safety information, visit http://www.humalog.com/ About Diabetes
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
diabetes affects nearly 21 million Americans; of that, nearly
one-third, or approximately six million people, do not know they
have the disease.5 Diabetes is the sixth leading cause of death in
the United States and costs approximately $132 billion per year in
direct and indirect medical expenses. (5,6) About Lilly Diabetes
Through a long-standing commitment to diabetes care, Lilly provides
patients with breakthrough treatments that enable them to live
longer, healthier and fuller lives. Since 1923, Lilly has been the
industry leader in pioneering therapies to help health care
professionals improve the lives of people with diabetes, and
research continues on innovative medicines to address the unmet
needs of patients. Lilly also strives to recognize the personal and
professional contributions of those with and without diabetes
through the annual LillyforLife(TM) Awards. For information about
the Awards program, visit http://www.lillyforlife.com/. For more
information about Lilly's diabetes products, visit
http://www.lillydiabetes.com/. About Eli Lilly and Company Lilly, a
leading innovation-driven corporation, is developing a growing
portfolio of first-in-class and best-in-class pharmaceutical
products by applying the latest research from its own worldwide
laboratories and from collaborations with eminent scientific
organizations. Headquartered in Indianapolis, Ind., Lilly provides
answers -- through medicines and information -- for some of the
world's most urgent medical needs. Information about Lilly is
available at http://www.lilly.com/. Humalog(R) is a registered
trademarks of Eli Lilly and Company. HumaPen(R) MEMOIR(TM) and
HumaPen(R) LUXURA(TM) HD are trademarks of Eli Lilly and Company.
B-roll is available at the times listed below Thursday, February
22nd, 2007 1:30 PM - 1:45 PM ET G 26 (formerly IA 6) Transponder 11
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6:30 PM - 6:45 PM ET G 26 (formerly IA 6) Transponder 17 C-Band
Downlink Freq: 4040 Vertical Friday, February 23rd, 2007 1:30 PM -
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Freq: 3920 Vertical Preview and access this video on Pathfire DMG:
26898. For technical assistance call Pathfire Customer Care at
1-888-345-0489 or e-mail NOTES (1) -- Venekamp, W. Functionality
and Acceptability of a New Electronic Insulin Injection Pen with a
Memory Feature. Current Medical Research and Opinions,
2006:22(2):315-325 (2) -- American Diabetes Association (ADA).
Standards of medical care in diabetes. Diabetes Care. 2006 Jan;29
(Suppl 1):S8-17. (3) -- Saaddine JB, Engelgau MM, Beckles GL, Gregg
EW, Thompson TJ, Narayan KM. A diabetes report card for the United
States: Quality of care in the 1990s. Ann Intern Med.
2002;136:565-574. (4) -- The Diabetes Survey was conducted by
Kelton Research between January 8th and January 16, 2007 by
telephone. Quotas are set on completed interviews by geographic
region, gender, and diabetes type, to ensure reliable and accurate
representation of the population. Results of any sample are subject
to sampling variation. The magnitude of the variation is measurable
and is affected by the number of interviews and the level of the
percentages expressing the results. In this particular study, the
chances are 95 in 100 that a survey result does not vary, plus or
minus, by more than 3.1 percentage points from the result that
would be obtained if interviews had been conducted with all persons
in the universe represented by the sample. (5) -- Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). National diabetes fact sheet:
general information and national estimates on diabetes in the
United States, 2005. Rev ed. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
2005. (6) -- American Diabetes Association. Direct and indirect
costs of diabetes in the United States. Available at:
http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-
statistics/cost-of-diabetes-in-us.jsp. Accessed January 24, 2007.
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070222/DCTH007-a
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070222/DCTH007-b
http://photoarchive.ap.org/ DATASOURCE: Eli Lilly and Company
CONTACT: J. Scott MacGregor, +1-317-651-1494, cell:
+1-317-440-4699, for Eli Lilly and Company Web site:
http://www.lilly.com/ http://www.lillyforlife.com/
http://www.lillydiabetes.com/ http://www.humalog.com/
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