Cambridge Consultants designs smart injection pen
Cambridge Consultants has designed a smart injection pen that will help diabetes patients to better manage their insulin delivery and hence their disease, by capturing the exact moment and dose of the insulin at the moment of injection. The so-called KiCoPen works without batteries.
Diabetes is a lifelong disease that causes someone’s blood sugar level to become too high. With the right amount of insulin at the right times throughout the day, patients can live very long and healthy lives. But failure to do so, can lead to damaged organs, blood vessels, and over time nerves, risking further health complications, and driving the costs to the healthcare system. Worldwide more than 371 million people are affected by diabetes, a number that is expected to increase to 552 million by 2030. In the UK, the number of diabetes patients aged 16 or over is 3.1 million and is expected to be 4.6 million in 2013.
Cambridge Consultants, a global product development engineering and technology consulting firm, has designed a smart injection pen that will help diabetes patients to track their insulin delivery, to make the management of their disease an easier and more accurate task.
How does it work?
Pens currently on the market will allow patients to capture the time of the last insulin shot by freezing the time when the cap was taken off. Cambridge Consultants states that this leaves room for error, in case the cap falls off, resulting in false information concerning the last dose. Cambridge Consultants’ so-called KiCoPen will combat this risk, by capturing the exact dose and time of the insulin delivered at the moment of the injection, information that is subsequently send to a an associated smartphone app. The KiCoPen works without a battery, and is powered by the action of removing the injector cap, also resulting in a more reliable product, accoding to the consulting firm.
“Our new injection pen design allows patients to more easily self-manage their treatment, while ensuring they’re getting the exact amount of insulin they need,” says Vaishali Kamat, Head of Digital Health at Cambridge Consultants.
In addition to this new pen, Cambridge Consultants is currently developing a ‘companion app’ that will allow patients to better manage their diabetes through access to all necessary data and relevant analytics in one place.
