Good news for those who need insulin...I would also think the pen is a little more convenient to carry with you as well...initial cost is a small bit higher, and the pen seems to have a better angle on accuracy on the dose according to the article. BD
Diabetics who need to switch from oral medications to insulin could reduce their annual healthcare costs up to $17,000 by using an insulin pen instead of a syringe to deliver their daily dose of medication. A new study found that using an insulin pen may result in fewer trips to the emergency department and to the doctor's office, resulting in substantial savings to diabetics and their insurers. "For one, there is less chance of getting the wrong dose of insulin," said Rajesh Balkrishnan, the study's senior author and the Merrell Dow professor of pharmacy at Ohio State University. "Diabetics who use syringes must carefully measure their insulin, so there is a risk of getting too much or too little."
Annual prescription costs were also lower for insulin pen users in this group -- $6,122 vs. $7,465 for syringe users.
Prescription costs for the syringe were lower than those for the pen ($535 vs. $670), and the cost of a pen itself was higher than the cost of a syringe ($840 vs. $0.)
"While the pen is initially more expensive than the syringe, in the long run it could considerably reduce overall healthcare costs," Balkrishnan said.
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