InsulinSaver, an invention based on experience

During a train ride in Europe in the summer of 2017, I left all my insulin in a fridge in a hotel room in Italy. We stayed in Italy for two nights and a few days later, when I changed my insulin in my syringes to the insulin that was in this fridge, my blood sugar started to rise. I gradually started increasing my doses, first a few units, in the belief that I might have an infection going on. I gradually got worse and worse. I felt dehydrated, had a headache, nausea and I was dizzy. When I had doubled the normal doses, but still had high blood sugar, my travel partner and I began to think about where I had stored my insulin during the trip. My travel partner had noticed that a bottle of juice standing in the door of the fridge in Italy was icy on one morning. My insulin had been lying next to the juice. If I had an InsulinSaver during this trip, I would have gotten an indication that my insulin had been exposed to too low a temperature before my body would have had to suffer.

– Hanna Dahl, Co-Founder InsulinSaver

Insulin and Diabetes

Insulin is a temperature-sensitive drug which, according to insulin manufacturers, should be stored at a temperature between + 2 ° C and + 30 ° C. Insulin should be stored in the refrigerator when an ampoule / disposable syringe is not in use. Because a diabetic today can largely live a life like everyone else, insulin needs to be involved in many different contexts where many different temperatures can be experienced. It can be brought, for example, on sunny days on the beach, skiing in the mountains or a walk on a hot day, with the insulin in your purse. Diabetics are also human, you can forget your bag of insulin in the car, put your insulin in a refrigerator that does not work properly or forget your insulin on the dining table when the sun is on.

Problem statement:

It's not possible to visually determine if the insulin is usable or not.
Many choose to discard insulin when they become uncertain if it has been exposed to harmful temperatures.

Consequences:

An insulin-treated diabetic is at risk for elevated blood sugar levels which can lead to ketoacidosis.
We estimate that an average of 1-2 ampoules / disposable syringes with insulin are dispensed per person and year in Sweden. With this figure, we can further estimate that around 60,000 ampoules / disposable syringes are thrown away, in Sweden alone (this in the belief that the insulin is not usable).

Criteria for product development:

User-friendly and clear.
Easy to carry and store where you already store your insulin.
No extra accessories in addition to the product itself, as you as a diabetic already have many aids to remember.
Low cost to the customer.

The solution: InsulinSaver