Emperra ESYSTA BT, a New Bluetooth-Connected Insulin Pen

Emperra GmbH, a company based in Potsdam, Germany, has announced what it claims is the world’s first Bluetooth-connected insulin pen. Perhaps it was at the time of writing the press release, but two days ago Companion Medical (San Diego, CA) has unveiled its already FDA cleared InPen insulin pen that tracks intake, calculates dosage, and manages how much insulin is in reserve.

ESYSTA-BT-insulin-pen

The Emperra ESYSTA BT pen records every insulin injection and shares that data with an accompanying iOS or Android app. The actual insulin can come from any of the major suppliers like Novo Nordisk and Sanofi thanks to special adapters. Moreover, the app records the insulin that was used so that any mixing up of basal and bolus ESYSTA pens can be quickly noticed.

While many diabetics have been keeping pretty good records of their glucose levels and insulin intake, many more don’t do such a good job if any at all. The new smart insulin pens will allow clinicians taking care of diabetic patients to have a much more accurate record of therapy, allowing for more nuance when making any adjustments.

From Emperra:

In a study together with a health insurance company, the ESYSTA® system was tested by several hundreds of insulin-dependent diabetics in everyday practice. Conclusion: HbA1c could be reduced by almost 1% on average over a period of twelve months. In patients with significantly higher HbA1c levels at the start, a reduction of up to 2% could even be achieved without the hypoglycaemic rate (low blood sugar emergencies) rising, according to the health insurance company’s information. Diabetes experts rate these results as extremely positive, especially as even the insulin consumption, an important cost factor, tended to also be reduced in most patients.