Table 4.
Comparison of present and future connected insulin pens and caps integrated with CGM
| Pen |
Caps |
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| InPen | NovoPen6/Echo Plus | DIA:CONN P8 | Bigfoot Unity | |
| Company | Medtronics | NovoNordisk | G2E | Bigfoot Biomedical |
| FDA approved | 2017 | Not yet | Not yet | 2021 |
| Approval age | ≥7 years | Not yet | Not yet | ≥12 years |
| Integrated CGM | Guardian Connect, Guardian 4 sensor | Not directly (CGM those available with Glooko/Diasend) | Dexcom, FreeStyle Libre, i-sense | FreeStyle Libre 2 (later with FreeStyle Libre 3) |
| Available insulinsa | Humalog, Novolog, Fiasp | Cartridges by Novo Nordisk (Novolog, Fiasp, Levemir, Degludec) | Long-acting insulin, rapid acting insulinb | Black for rapid-acting insulin (Humalog, Novolog); White for long-acting insulin (Lantus, Tresiba) |
| Maximum insulin dose | 30 units | 60/30 units | 300 units | NA |
| Dose increments | 0.5 unit | 1/0.5 unit | 0.1 unit | NA |
| Insulin injection reminder | Yes (rapid and long-acting insulin) | No | Yes | Yes |
| Last injection time and dose | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Bolus calculator | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| IOB display | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Alarms | Yes (2 hours after rapid-acting insulin, cartridge replaced after 28 days) | No | Yes | <70 mg/dL (optional) |
| <55 mg/dL (Mandatory) | ||||
| Missing basal dose more than 24 hours | ||||
| Battery life | 1 year | 5 years | Not yet | 1 year |
| Software | Bluetooth | NFC | Bluetooth | Bluetooth |
CGM, continuous glucose monitoring; FDA, U.S. Food and Drug Administration; IOB, insulin on board; NFC, near field communication.
a
Pens are used with cartridges and caps are used with disposable insulin pens,
b
Diaconn P8 has a separate insulin reservoir.