mylife Diabetescare Stories

Around 75 employees develop, produce and distribute our pen needles, which are manufactured in Solothurn and delivered from Burgdorf all over the world. It all started small: When the first needles were produced in Burgdorf 30 years ago, the team was still relatively small and production and assembly were still together. In 2009, production was moved to Solothurn and capacity was increased. Since then, the pen needles have developed into a success story that keeps Ypsomed in line with current trends and offers products that are, in some cases, unique in the world.

These include today’s mylife Clickfine Pen Tip, whose 6-bevel needle tip enables a particularly gentle injection. Today, we are the only provider that still offers the 6-bevel. “Even though innovations are quickly imitated within the industry, we always manage to further develop our products and thus contribute to a better quality of life for people with diabetes", says Heidi Thomann, International Product Manager at Ypsomed. Another unique feature of our pen needles is the click, which makes attachment to the pen quick and easy.

Minimal changes with maximum impact for the patient

In medical technology, changes in small things often have a big impact. Needles, for example, have changed in length and construction over the years. Whereas 30 years ago needles were still 10-12 mm long, today needles with a length of 4 mm are increasingly used, which is just one third of the former length. The outer diameter has also been reduced and the inner diameter increased. Although the numbers are in the fractions of a millimetre range, they make a striking difference for the patient, because the needle prick through the skin is much more comfortable and the medication can be injected more easily. Thus, with a shorter needle, a special injection angle is no longer required and the risk of hitting the muscle is lower.

The history of pen needles at a glance

In 1992, Ypsomed, still under the name Disetronic at the time, developed the first pen needle for the reusable Optipen insulin pen. The pen needle was initially marketed exclusively by the German pharmaceutical company Hoechst (now Sanofi) and was very well received by customers. The enormous growth potential of this attractive market was quickly recognised, which led to the development of new pen needles.

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