Novo Nordisk introduces NovoRapid PumpCart insulin pump

Today, Novo Nordisk launches NovoRapid^® PumpCart^®, the first prefilled pump cartridge with an insulin analogue that has been specifically designed for insulin pumps. This new treatment solution, which contains NovoRapid^® (insulin aspart) – a rapid-acting insulin from Novo Nordisk – is expected to make insulin pump therapy more convenient for people with diabetes and their care staff. The 1.6 ml cartridge is developed in a non-exclusive partnership between Roche Diabetes Care and Novo Nordisk and is compatible with the new Accu-Chek^®Insight insulin pump therapy system from Roche Diabetes Care.

“One of the challenges in operating a traditional pump lies in the manual filling of the insulin reservoir, a procedure with multiple steps, which can often be perceived as a complex and time-consuming process by patients and healthcare professionals alike,” commented Dr Parth Narendran, clinical senior lecturer and honorary consultant in medicine at the University of Birmingham.

He continued: “This can be a difficult hurdle to overcome when starting on insulin pump therapy, and is exacerbated by the extensive amount of time needed by healthcare staff to provide the necessary support during pump initiation. A simpler process could address this issue and deliver tangible benefits for those patients who rely on insulin pump therapy every day to manage their diabetes.”

Compared to multiple daily injections, insulin pumps can provide greater flexibility of lifestyle and potentially tighter blood glucose control without an increased risk of hypoglycaemia.

“This can provide benefits to certain patients,” explained Dr Mark Evans, lecturer and honorary consultant in medicine at the University of Cambridge. “In Europe, we’ve seen a slow but steady increase in insulin pump therapy uptake in recent years, but there is still room for improvement; in the United Kingdom pumps are currently used by 19% of children and 6% of adults with type 1 diabetes.”

NovoRapid^® PumpCart^® is being launched in the UK, Sweden and Austria today and will be made available in more European countries throughout 2015 and 2016. The Accu-Chek^® Insight insulin pump therapy system has been launched in Austria in the first half of this year and is being launched in the UK today, with other European markets following throughout 2015.