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MISSISSAUGA, Ontario — Novo Nordisk has gained Health Canada’s approval for the Levemir FlexTouch disposable, prefilled insulin pen.
Novo Nordisk Canada Inc. said Friday that the product, which contains Levemir (insulin detemir), is designed to improve ease of use for insulin administration and help decrease barriers to good treatment adherence for Canadians living with type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
The Levemir FlexTouch has a push-button that doesn’t extend at any set dose, and via its unique, spring-loaded mechanism, the injection is driven by a torque spring instead of the user’s thumb pressure. The torque spring is loaded as the dose is set, and the spring energy is activated by depressing the button.
As a result, the injection force of FlexTouch is much lower than other widely used prefilled pens, according to Novo Nordisk.
"Insulin treatment regimens can present challenges for many Canadians living with type 1 or type 2 diabetes, such as the convenience of insulin delivery, the anxiety associated with injections or the confidence in injection accuracy," explained Dr. Robert Schlosser, M.D., co-director of the LMC Endocrinology Centre in Thornhill, Ontario. "The approval of Levemir FlexTouch can help to address these barriers for those prescribed a long-acting basal insulin, resulting in improved treatment adherence."
Plans call for the Levemir FlexTouch to become available in Canada in January 2014.
