Timesulin, a new product in the management of insulin-dependent diabetes has been launched at the 16th annual FEND (Foundation of European Nurses in Diabetes) in Lisbon. Through an incorporated timer, Timesulin reminds diabetics when they last had their insulin injection. The ‘smart cap’ is the first major improvement in insulin pens since their release twenty years ago, relieving both patients and health care practitioners major concerns by greatly reducing the risk of missing or accidentally double-dosing their insulin.
Established names in the diabetes field in Europe, including Dr Åke Sjöholm, Chief of the Diabetes Research Unit at Sweden’s Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm have already anticipated the launch of Timesulin. He said:
“Due to the habitual nature of insulin administration patients often forget whether or not they had injected their insulin dose. We regard this as a major challenge in managing diabetes and welcome the timely arrival of an innovative solution like Timesulin.”
Timesulin, the brainchild of three entrepreneurs who recognized the necessity for a daily, simple, safe, easy to use and life- improving solution for diabetics, originated from the creators’ own familiarity with the problem.
Timesulin co-founder John Sjölund explained:
“The idea was born out of my own frustration as a Type 1 diabetic of over 25 years. I manage my insulin injections with insulin pens and know all too well that a missed shot leads to raised blood sugar levels and causes drowsiness and body aches. At the same time, an accidental double dose has the opposite effect: blood sugar levels plummet, bringing on sweats and it can even cause a severe long & short term health complications. But mostly, it causes daily anxiety. I hate that. People with diabetes need a simpler way of knowing if they took their insulin, and when.”
John Grumitt, Vice Chair of the Diabetes UK Board of Trustees agreed, saying:
“This is a very common problem: most insulin-dependent patients have at some point missed a dose or taken a double dose, specifically because they weren’t sure when they took their last shot. A simple solution, like the one Timesulin offers, should ease the daily anxiety for many people living with diabetes.”
Co-founder Andreas Sjölund knows the value of identifying market needs and offering the right solution at the right time. He helped revolutionizing Internet telephony and online collaboration as co-creator and first product manager of Skype, which currently has over 700 million users worldwide. Marcel Botha, Timesulin CTO and the team’s other co-founder was originally a product engineer with MIT’s Media Lab in Boston. He developed Sniftag, a social networking tool for dogs before Timesulin.
Timesulin works with all major insulin pens without having to change habits and is ready to use straight out of the package with no need for programming. It carries the CE mark and retails at £25 for a pack of two replacement caps. Timesulin will be available to customers throughout the EU, including in the UK, from mid-November 2011.
Written by Petra Rattue