NFC labels attached to disposable insulin pens are enabling diabetes patients who self-administer regular insulin injections to ensure that they adhere to their therapy plans as well as receiving interactive guidance and assistance with their treatment.

Injection systems manufacturer Ypsomed Group has added the NFC labels to its UnoPen autoinjectors so the pens can communicate wirelessly with its SmartPilot monitoring device in “a fully connected smart product system” that “supports the provision of therapy-relevant data to patients, physicians and other healthcare stakeholders”.

“With the NFC label, the drug can automatically be identified, authenticated and checked in terms of its expiration date,” says Schreiner Medipharm, the healthcare technology company that developed the labels with Ypsomed.

“Due to the smart device, the time and date of the injection as well as the delivered dose are tracked and transmitted to the patient’s related smartphone app via Bluetooth.

“Patients are interactively guided through the injection process, assisted in correctly using the pen in real time or informed about inconsistencies — for instance, in the event of deviations from the therapy plan or accidental attempts to inject themselves twice.

“Also integrated is a temperature monitoring feature that issues a warning in case the pen was exposed to critical temperatures while being used or stored.

“Sensor technology installed in the SmartPilot that digitally connects the UnoPen enables this function.”

Ypsomed began developing NFC-enabled autoinjectors for patients with conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis in November 2015.

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