Cool Ice Box company
This is a brief round-up of diabetes kit that can help to keep your insulin cool when travelling with diabetes.
COOL ICE BOX: The Cool Ice Box Company has a wide range of cool box products for carrying medicines mainly under their Nomad brand, including the Nomad medical travel case for children. It keeps medication between 2 – 8 degrees C for up to 4 hours, making it perfect for a day out. Their cool transportation products come in various other sizes including a hardbacked zip-up personal insulin pen pack carrier which has a pouch to hold a cooling gel pack. The company also does a range of ‘micro fridges’, but they start at £299 so you need to be serious about keeping things cool! Carry cases from £19.99. www.coolicebox.com/nomad
Frio Viva wallet
FRIO: Frio’s new Lifestyle range is designed to protect temperature-sensitive medicines. Frio wallets maintain a constant internal temperature of 18-26°C for at least 45 hours which can stop insulin from degrading in extreme hot or cold temperatures. The Lifestyle range combines inspiration from the fashion world with feedback from existing customers who were looking for something new. There are five limited edition designs inspired by Spring/Summer 2018 fashion trends embracing patterns and colours seen in catwalk shows by designers such as Balenciaga and Gucci which were designed and manufactured in-house. The Frio Lifestyle wallets come in two sizes: the ‘Two’ and the ‘Five’ which hold two and five standard size insulin pens, respectively. Or, if that does not tickle your fancy, the winner of the UK Outdoor Industry Award ‘Product of the Year’ award and ‘Best Accessory’ award 2016, the Viva Zipper wallet is big enough to carry up to 5 standard size insulin pens, or a combination of pens, vials and cartridges. The Viva comes in bright pink and teal colours, making it easy to find in a hurry. www.friouk.com
Medactiv, EasyBag Single
MEDACTIV: Medactiv medical cool bags keep insulin cool without the need for an electricity supply. The EasyBag Single for one insulin pen becomes active in less than 40 seconds when in contact with water. The patented technology of the EasyBag keeps your medication cool between 16 – 25 °C for up to three days and can be reused hundreds of times. Also available in a Large size. From €35. www.medactiv.com
MedAngel temperature gauge for insulin
MEDANGEL: MedAngel was born from the frustration of Amin Zayani (a T1 diabetic), after he discovered that his domestic refrigerator accidentally froze his insulin. Millions of people worldwide are knowingly or unknowingly facing this same problem. He says, “We are committed to one mission: to help you keep your medications safe. We believe that everyone must have adequate and affordable tools to keep medications in the best possible conditions. We harness the power of reliable proven technologies, intuitive design and pharmaceutical know-how to bring you safety and peace of mind.” The MedAngel temperature gauge can be kept in your bag, in your fridge, or keep with you on your travels. It’s easy to set up, with configurable alerts that tell you if your meds are getting too warm (or too cold). It synchronizes with smartphones, so you can track the temp of your meds on your screen. Around £49.99 from Advanced Therapeutics.
Vivi Cap 1
VIVI: The Vivi Cap1 cools insulin to recommended temperatures just by sticking it on the top of your insulin pen. There is no need for refrigeration or to submerge it in water to activate it. It can be used as a replacement to pen cap, it’s small and lightweight and fits into your pocket. Each Vivi Cap1 will last one year of daily use. It can be ordered to fit the following pens: FlexPen, FlexTouch, KwikPen and SoloStar and costs around $70 from their US store (but they ship to the UK). Coming soon is Vivi Vial, which will fit x1 vial of insulin in it. Vivi cooling products are based on a combination of unique insulation material, a heat absorbing chemical (Phase Change Material, or PCM), together with monitoring and control electronics. The insulation is used in spacecraft, avionics, cryotherapy and other high performance thermal insulation applications. When the Vivi Cap1 is exposed to ambient temperatures above 29°C, slow transition of the PCM material from solid to liquid takes place. During that time the temperature inside the products, which is in equilibrium with the drug chamber of the pens or vials, is fixed to 28°C. The user can monitor the temperature using a button on the bottom of the cap which provides the temperature of the drug. The heat absorbent material is reactivated to its heat absorbing state whenever the ambient temperature gets below 26°C (78.8°F). Vivi Cap1 works even when placed inside a closed bag it does not need any airflow for its activity, and it is small enough to fit any supplies kit. www.my-vivi.com
News items and features like this appear in the Desang Diabetes Magazine, our free-to-receive digital journal (see below). We cover diabetes news, diabetes management equipment (diabetes ‘kit’ such as insulin pumps and continuous glucose monitoring equipment) and news about food suitable for a diabetic diet including a regular Making Carbs Count column. We just need your email address to subscribe you (it’s free, and you can easily unsubscribe should you wish to).
