I have read that the FDA approved Aventis’ OptiClik insulin pen, which is designed to deliver Lantus, back in August 2004. I have yet to see it advertised or available in the U.S. as of April 2005. Do you have any idea when it will be sold in the U.S.? There is nothing mentioned on the Aventis web site.

We asked a representative from Sanofi-Aventis, the maker of Lantus, about the availability of the Lantus OptiClik pen. Here’s his response:

The OptiClik pen has been available for the delivery of Lantus since the beginning of the 2005. The pen is distributed to physicians only by our sales force; i.e., the pen itself cannot be obtained at a pharmacy. Only the Lantus cartridges can be obtained at a pharmacy – of course, with a prescription only.

The physician will have to reach out to a Sanofi-Aventis sales professional to get OptiClik pens, if he/she has not already done so, given that the child is being treated by an endocrinologist or diabetologist.

JSH