Danish healthcare company Novo Nordisk has won a Good Design Award for NovoTwist, a needle for use with the FlexPen insulin delivery device. The needle, which has a simple 'just twist' attachment and detachment action, is said to make injection easier for diabetes patients.
The judging panel for the awards, run by the Japan Industrial Design Promotion Organisation, received nearly 3,000 entries. The NovoTwist took its award in the Society - Medical Equipment section.
The NovoTwist has a simple functional design with a push-and-twist needle attachment/detachment system, which is said to overcome problems associated with conventional screw thread needles for those with limited manual dexterity and hand strength.
NovoTwist is supplied in 5mm (32G Tip) and 8mm (30G), and its bayonet fitting allows the user to twist the needle onto the FlexPen. An audible and tactile 'click' confirms attachment of the needle. An integral glue tower minimises the risk of needle breakage, and short, thin needles ensure safe insulin deposition and reduce injection pain and bruising.
"Given the general anxiety that some people with diabetes can suffer when using any injection device, the new developments with NovoTwist are a big step forward in terms of user-friendliness," said diabetes nurse Barbel Sommavilla of the Diabetes Education Centre, Salzburg, Austria, who was involved in a key study assessing patients' preference for insulin pen needles.