Novo Nordisk earns US approval for NovoPen Echo

Novo Nordisk has announced that its user-friendly insulin device NovoPen Echo has been approved for sale by the US Food and Drug Administration.

The device – which is already available in Europe, Canada and Israel – has now been cleared to launch in the US, with a rollout planned in early 2014.

NovoPen Echo offers features such as half-unit dosing, allowing for finer adjustments to be made, as well as a memory function that records the dose and time passed since the last injection.

It will be available to patients for use with NovoLog PenFill cartridges, with a number of customisable removable skins to be offered.

Camille Lee, senior vice-president for diabetes marketing at Novo Nordisk, said: "The pen can offer caregivers increased confidence that their children are managing their diabetes appropriately away from home by allowing them to see the amount and time passed since their last dose."

Earlier this month, the company announced its financial results for the first half of 2013, during which it experienced a year-on-year sales increase of 14 percent.