A new "pen needle" could make injecting insulin easier for those living with diabetes.
A company called BD Medical announced the release of the "BD Ultra-Fine(TM) Nano(TM) 4mm Pen Needle with EasyFlow(TM) Technology," a PR Newswire press release reported via Market Watch.
EasyFlow Technology aims to make it easier for diabetics to inject their medicine.
Insulin injections are crucial for people who are unable to regulate their blood sugar, such as diabetics. Most of the time, people diagnosed with diabetes must take up to several injections a day for the rest of their lives.
In a clinical study, most participants preferred the BD pen to three other leading insulin needles. Sixty-one percent of study subjects said the needle required less "thumb pressure" to inject. Forty-nine percent of participants said the needle was easier to inject than other leading models.
The manufacturers increased the amount of space inside the needle without sacrificing gauge size. This technique was found to increase flow rate by 149 percent higher than other leading needles in laboratory tests.
"Building on the introduction of BD's 4mm needle and 5-bevel PentaPoint Comfort design, we are confident that our new EasyFlow Technology will provide the most comfortable injection experience to help enable patients to adhere more easily to their therapy regimens and ultimately improve their outcomes," Linda Tharby, President, BD Medical - Diabetes Care, said in the statement.
Needles with EasyFlow technology are already available in the U.S. and Canada, and are expected to hit European shelves in the very near future.
Diabetes is a disease that causes the body to either have a shortage of insulin or a "decreased ability to use insulin." Insulin is responsible for converting into energy.
Untreated diabetes can lead to an excess of glucose and fat in the bloodstream, which can severely damage organs.
About 26 million Americans suffer from diabetes and about 18.8 million have been diagnosed with the disease.
