YES, PEN INJECTORS CAN ACCOMMODATE MORE THAN JUST INSULIN
Published: 22/05/2025
Cécile Gross and Mark Tunkel explore the benefits of pen injectors, highlighting their versatility and ease of use, and introduce Nemera’s novel platforms and how they can be adapted for a wide range of indications, enhancing treatment options and the patient experience.
In anxiety-inducing social environments, the increasing burden of disease or widespread pathologies may be perceived as unhelpful. However, increasing awareness of pharmaceutical progress and technical solutions to assist patients daily can be beneficial.
According to WHO data from 2022, there are approximately 1.71 billion individuals in the world with musculoskeletal conditions, making these conditions the leading cause of disease or disability, closely followed by obesity (890 million) and diabetes (830 million). The number of individuals with diabetes is expected to increase fourfold over the next 30 years.
Harder to quantify, but not to be undervalued, is the number of children and young people suffering from growth deficiency, which affects between one in 3,000 and one in 10,000 people.
How are those conditions addressed? In the context of drug delivery devices, the insulin pen injector for diabetes comes to mind. Launched in the 1980s, it served two purposes – to ensure accurate dosing and to provide a comfortable injection. In both cases, the objective was to improve on vials and syringes. Since then, its use has spread across other pathologies, such as obesity, growth disorders, bone disorders and fertility issues. This device is still relatively new in the grand scheme of things, but its use is expected to increase in the coming years.
ADVANTAGES OF USING A PEN INJECTOR
Access to diagnostics and treatment availability remain a challenge for health authorities, with several factors causing this globally prevalent issue. However, with treatments available in injectable form and drugs being increasingly adapted for self-administration via pen injectors, promoting their widespread adoption could help to alleviate the burden for patients.
When discussing injections, it is essential to consider needle phobia. Advances in insulin delivery have resulted in pen needles being very short and very thin, making injections less traumatic than those administered with a standard syringe. In the same way, needlestick injuries are very rare with this type of device. The risks associated with dealing with vials and syringes are also minimised by the ready-to-use cartridge already integrated in the pen injector. Patients do not need to manipulate the drug container, except in the case of reusable pen injectors; however, such containers are safe enough not to pose risks for patients.
Lack of trained personnel, necessary equipment and infrastructure can sometimes lead to poor patient care. Pen injectors, which resemble writing pens, are very intuitive in their use and can be used independently by patients...
