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Consumer Guide to Diabetes Products
Insulin pens
New Zealand has access to insulin products from three suppliers, Novo Nordisk, Eli Lilly and Sanofi Aventis.
Insulin in presented in both 10 ml vials (and administered using syringes), or in 3 ml cartridges used with manufacturer specific “Pens”. Levemir is presented in a disposable pen.
Pens are not a prescription item but are generally available at no cost from the suppliers through Diabetes Societies, Diabetes clinics.
| Manufacturer / Insulin | Matching Pen | Description | Presentation | Function | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Novo Nordisk(NovoRapid Penfill, Actrapid Penfill) | Steel barrelled with steel cap and plastic cartridge holder Available in either silver (stainless steel) or a selection of colours | Stainless steel model is in firm plastic snap top case that holds three pen needles and spare insulin cartridge. Coloured varieties are presented in psychedelic coloured soft pouch with Velcro closure. Pouch can also hold second pen, spare needles and cartridge in Velcro closing | Required dose is “dialled” and delivered by pushing plunger in. Correction of incorrectly dialled dose requires body to be pulled open to alter setting | ||
| Novo Nordisk(NovoRapid Penfill, Actrapid Penfill) | NovoPen® 3 Demi | Similar to NovoPen® 3 described above, but with added feature of being able to deliver insulin in 1/2 units | |||
| Novo Nordisk(Levemir)< | Levemir FlexPen® | Levemir FlexPen® is a prefilled disposable plastic syringe comprising a pen injector and a 3ml cartridge | |||
| Eli Lilly(Humulin R, Humulin NPH) | Humapen Ergo | Plastic barrelled pen with plastic cap.Available in a variety of colours | Pens are presented in a plastic snap top case that will hold three needles and a spare insulin cartridge. Cases and pens are colour coded to enable easy differentiation between insulin types. | Required dose is “dialled” and delivered by pushing plunger in. Correction of incorrectly dialled dose is effected by winding the dial back. | |
| Sanofi Aventis(Lantus) | Lantus OptiPen Pro  | Lantus OptiPen Pro is a pen which takes replaceable cartridges of 300 units (3ml) each. Lantus OptiSet pens are pre-filled disposable pens. You may dial up doses in increments of 2 units up to a maximum of 40 units as a single dose. The pens do not require shaking or mixing before use. | |||
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