BD pen needles and insulin syringes are now part of embecta, a global diabetes care company. With this change, we are excited to introduce you to the new embecta packaging.

Company Background

embecta is a global company that develops and provides solutions that make life better for people living with diabetes. We spun off from Becton, Dickinson and Company (BD) three years ago, building on a legacy in insulin delivery that extends back to 1924, when we introduced the world’s first specialized insulin syringe.

Today, we are the leading producer of insulin injection devices in the world, making about 8 billion injection devices a year, which are used by about 30 million people in more than 100 countries. Our broad portfolio of products — complemented by education, training, and support resources — helps people with diabetes deliver their insulin correctly.

Since the spinoff, embecta has been selling BD pen needles and insulin syringes, and we are now in the process of refreshing and updating our packaging to complete the transition to the embecta brand name — with no changes to the product inside.

What will be different about the packaging?

These are the same products customers and people with diabetes have known and trusted for 100 years, just with an updated, refreshed look and feel that represents embecta.

Importantly, for the pen needles, the color of the box will remain the same; for insulin syringes, you will notice a change to the color of the box. The change of color for insulin syringes was done in an effort to align the color of the syringe boxes to the needle length, similar to the pen needle colors that are associated with certain lengths. As mentioned, you will notice that for both pen needles and insulin syringes, the product name no longer includes the BD logo, so look for “Nano 2nd Gen” or “Ultra-Fine.”

One other important update as requested by customers is that there will be a product image on the package, so you always know what you are dispensing. And for a period of time, customers will be reassured by a “new look, same product” stamp on select packaging.

Will patients need a new prescription or see a change to insurance coverage?

Our objective is to make this a seamless transition for patients, healthcare providers, and pharmacists. As these are the same products, patients will not need a new prescription when getting a refill. We have worked to ensure that BD and embecta products will be linked in pharmacy systems for ease of dispensing.

The embecta products are covered by insurance just as the BD products were covered. While the National Reimbursement Code (NRC) is changing with the change to embecta, HCPs, pharmacists, and patients can be confident that insurance coverage will remain unaffected by this packaging change.

What’s the most important thing to know about this transition?

The most important thing to know for both our customers and the people they serve is that while the packaging has a new look, the products are the same you know and trust. Our manufacturing process and the materials used have not changed. Our products are made in the same facilities and undergo the same quality control procedures at embecta as they did under BD.

Key Takeaways for Pharmacists

• Continue to order and dispense BD pen needles and insulin syringes until embecta packaging flows through your pharmacy.

• embecta will have a new National Reimbursement Code (NRC), but will still maintain the same insurance coverage as BD pen needles and syringes.

• BD and embecta products will be linked in your pharmacy systems for ease of dispensing.

• Timing for packaging transition to embecta will vary across product portfolio.

Visit Our Website

To learn more about the embecta packaging update, please visit www.embecta.com/hcp/packaging.