The pump-like intelligence for people who inject. Automatic dose logging, bolus calculator, IOB tracking, missed meal detection, and CGM integration — all in a reusable Bluetooth pen. The ADA says MDI patients should have this.
Device specifications change frequently — always verify current information directly with the manufacturer before making any decisions. Full disclaimer.
New to InPen? Start here.
The 2025 ADA Standards of Care give a Grade B recommendation for offering connected insulin pens to people with diabetes on multiple daily injections. InPen is the most widely used smart insulin pen in the US. Requires a prescription. As low as $60 with commercial insurance.
If you're on multiple daily injections (MDI), InPen doesn't change how you inject — you still use a pen, still dial a dose, still inject. What InPen adds is the intelligence layer that MDI has always been missing: automatic logging of every dose, a bolus calculator that factors in your current glucose and insulin on board, reminders for missed doses, and alerts when your insulin is getting too warm or about to expire. It turns a standard insulin pen into something that tracks everything a pump would track — without a pump.
Every dose is automatically recorded in the InPen app — time, amount, and type. No manual logging, no paper diaries. 90 days of history accessible at any time, shareable with your healthcare provider as a formatted report.
Enter your current glucose and carbs, and InPen calculates a recommended dose — factoring in your I:C ratio, ISF, target glucose, and active insulin on board (IOB) from previous doses. This is the core capability that prevents insulin stacking.
New November 2024 FDA clearance: InPen now alerts you when it detects that a meal dose was potentially missed or inaccurate — based on CGM data. If glucose rises and no recent bolus matches the expected pattern, you get an actionable alert with correction guidance.
InPen monitors insulin temperature inside the pen and alerts you if it gets too hot or cold — because temperature-damaged insulin is one of the most common and least-diagnosed causes of unexplained hyperglycemia. Also alerts when insulin is approaching its 28-day open-vial expiration.
People on MDI miss an estimated 1 out of every 3 doses. The problem isn't always intention — it's the absence of feedback. InPen closes that loop: it knows what you gave, when you gave it, and tells you when something looks wrong.
— Juicebox Podcast Device Guide · Based on Medtronic InPen clinical evidenceAny insulin-requiring patient on MDI — T1D, T2D, LADA, gestational. Ages 7+. The strongest indication: patients with inconsistent bolusing, missed doses, unexplained postprandial hyperglycemia, or poor adherence to injection regimens.
Grade B recommendation in 2025 Standards of Care for offering connected insulin pens to MDI patients. This is a formal recognition that smart pen technology improves outcomes for this population.
Medtronic sensors (Simplera, Guardian): real-time integration. Dexcom G6/G7: 3-hour delayed glucose trace. Real-time integration requires Medtronic CGM — important for full missed dose detection functionality.
Prescription required. Covered by most commercial insurance. As low as $60/pen. One pen lasts 1 year and is reusable. Multiple pens can be prescribed (home, work, gym bag) — all sync to the same app.
InPen alone is a significant upgrade over a standard pen. But the real power comes from pairing it with a CGM — which turns InPen from a smart logging device into a real-time glucose-aware dosing system. There are now two Smart MDI configurations available, depending on which CGM you're using.
Two Smart MDI ConfigurationsInPen app + Medtronic's Simplera all-in-one CGM = real-time glucose in the bolus calculator + full Missed Meal Dose Detection. This is Medtronic's flagship Smart MDI system. Simplera is factory-calibrated, 6-day wear, disposable. Currently available to a limited group; expanding availability in 2025.
A second Smart MDI configuration using the Instinct sensor (Abbott technology, 15-day wear) and the new MiniMed Go app. Delivers missed dose alerts and correction guidance. The longer 15-day Instinct sensor changes the wear cadence — only 2 sensor changes/month.
Dexcom G6 and G7 integrate with InPen, but with a 3-hour delayed glucose trace — not real-time. You can see where your glucose was 3 hours ago, but not now. Missed Meal Dose Detection requires real-time data; this limitation reduces full functionality for Dexcom users.
You can use multiple InPens — one at home, one at work, one in your bag — and they all sync to the same InPen app on your phone. Doses from any pen are logged automatically. Useful for patients who don't want to carry a single pen everywhere.
Active insulin on board (IOB) is visible on your phone's lock screen — without opening the app. This is the most accessed data point for MDI users: knowing how much insulin is still working before deciding whether to correct or eat.
InPen generates formatted reports showing dose history, timing patterns, IOB curves, and glucose overlays — shareable directly with your healthcare team. This transforms MDI data from "what the patient remembers" into objective, time-stamped records.
Set reminders for typical meal times or injection windows. If you haven't taken your usual dose by a certain time, InPen alerts you. Combined with Missed Meal Detection, this creates a two-layer system that catches both habitual and situational missed doses.
InPen's dose log reveals the actual pattern of injection adherence — not the patient's best recollection of it. Systematic missed boluses at specific meals are immediately visible. This changes the clinical conversation from assumption to evidence.
Review whether patients are accounting for IOB before corrections. InPen's bolus calculator incorporates IOB automatically, but if patients are overriding it or giving manual corrections, stacking risk increases. The app log makes this visible.
Pre-meal bolus timing is a major driver of postprandial control. InPen timestamps every dose — you can see whether a patient is pre-bolusing consistently, bolusing at the meal, or correcting after the spike. Target counseling based on actual behavior.
If a patient's InPen repeatedly alerts for high insulin temperature, it's a clinical conversation opportunity: where are they storing the pen, are they leaving it in a hot car, how are they managing insulin in summer heat? These are the upstream causes of unexplained hyperglycemia.
Approximately half of all people with insulin-requiring diabetes worldwide are managed on MDI — not pumps. A 2024 systematic review found that only about 55% of insulin users are adherent to their prescribed regimen. Smart insulin pens are the first technology specifically designed to close the MDI adherence gap without requiring the commitment, cost, or clinical infrastructure of pump therapy.
Automatic dose logging. Bolus calculator with IOB. Missed Meal Detection (FDA Nov 2024). Temperature alert. Expiry alert. 90-day history. Dose reminders. Multiple pens/one app. Lock screen IOB.
Simplera + InPen app: real-time, full functionality. Instinct + MiniMed Go app: real-time (FDA Jan 2026). Dexcom G6/G7: 3-hour delay, limited functionality.
All MDI patients ages 7+. Priority: missed bolus history, poor adherence, unexplained postprandial highs, patients not ready for pump, T2D intensification candidates.
n=5,153: ≥3 doses + <20% missed = significantly improved glycemia. n=1,852: timely alert response → TIR 55.7%→71.5%. ADA 2025 Standards: Grade B recommendation.
Requires prescription. As low as $60/pen with commercial insurance. One pen, 1-year reuse. Multiple pens can be prescribed. Ask Medtronic for current payer coverage details.
Rapid-acting only: NovoLog, Humalog, Apidra, Fiasp, Lyumjev, Admelog. Not for basal or premixed insulins.