Aventis Pharma, belonging to world's third largest pharmaceutical company Sanof-Aventis of France, has launched a new prefilled disposable insulin pen, SoloSTAR for use with the 24-hour insulin Lantus. This disposable insulin pen is to be used for the treatment of hyperglycemia in people with Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes and will be available in India from April 2008.

Dr Shailesh Ayyangar, managing director, said, "Innovation and customer convenience is at the helm of the Research and Development initiative at sanofi-aventis. SoloStar is another step in this direction and we are very optimistic about the benefits that this will offer to the patients."

"Lantus SoloSTAR is the result of over four years of intensive research and development. This pen has been designed based on inputs from diabetic patients, their nurses and doctors. Thus we are confident that this will cater to the needs of the patients" he added.

Susheel Umesh, senior director - Cardio-Metabolism Business Unit, said, "SoloStar, an easy-to-use insulin pen brings greater flexibility to patients and an opportunity for earlier initiation of insulin therapy which may contribute to better glycaemic control. This pen is designed in a very convenient manner to enable patients carry it easily, especially while travelling."

SoloStar reduces the injection force by 30 per cent or more in comparison to other leading disposable pens. This is beneficial to diabetics and in particular for those with lower grip strength and an estimated upto 58 per cent of individuals with limited joint mobility of the hand. It has the highest dose range of any disposable insulin pen with doses up to 80 units adjustable in one unit steps. Lantus SoloStar was first launched in Germany and or the first time in Asian countries.

This user-friendly insulin pen will cost at Rs 884 in India and the company expects huge demand in India as it is a capital of diabetic world. The product was launched first in Germany before 16 months and presently available in 25 countries. Lantus is a No 1 insulin with the market size of Euro two billion and 50 per cent patients in France have already switched over to SoloStar insulin pen.

The pen portfolio available for Lantus includes the OptiSet disposable pen and the Autopen 24 from Owen Mumford. The new Solo Star pen combines the quality of existing disposable devices with new additional features. To meet the needs of more people with diabetes, SoloStar has the widest dose range available in a disposable pen, up to 80 units in one injection.

According to Dr Ayyangar, Sanofi-aventis setup high-capacity manufacturing facility near Frankfurt, Germany and now investing around Euro 150 million to increase manufacturing capacity to produce 1 million pens per day.