Published: Feb 25, 2019 Last Updated: Oct 28, 2019

How Long Does One Tresiba FlexTouch Pen Last?

In our latest question and answer, the pharmacist discusses how long one Tresiba FlexTouch pen will last based on how many units of insulin you use.

Answered By: Dr. Brian Staiger Pharm.D

How Long Does One Tresiba FlexTouch Pen Last?

Feb 25, 2019

skipper asked

I use the Tresiba FlexTouch pen, the 100 units per milliliter strength, at 10 units dosage daily. How many days will I get out of one pen?

At a glance

One Tresiba U-100 FlexTouch pen contains 300 units of insulin while one Tresiba U-200 FlexTouch pen contains 600 units of insulin. How long a pen lasts will depend on how many units per day you use.

Answer

Tresiba (insulin degludec) is a long-acting basal insulin that is injected once-daily for glucose control. It is often referred to as an 'ultra' long-lasting insulin since it has a duration of action of nearly 42 hours, significantly longer than other long-acting insulin products such as Lantus and Levemir.

Tresiba FlexTouch Pens

The Tresiba FlexTouch pens are available in two different strengths:

Tresiba U-100 (100 units/mL)
Tresiba U-200 (200 units/mL)

Each strength pen contains a total volume of 3 milliliters, therefore, the total units of insulin contained in each pen is as follows:

Tresiba U-100: 300 units of insulin per pen
Tresiba U-200: 600 units of insulin per pen

One of the benefits of the Tresiba FlexTouch pen is the long expiration date. While most insulin pen products expire 28 days after opening, Tresiba expires 56 days after opening.

Lastly, the Tresiba U-100 product contains 5 pens per box (total of 1500 units of insulin per box) while the Tresiba U-200 product contains 3 pens per box (total of 1800 units of insulin per box).

All of the above information is summarized in the infographic below:

Tresiba U100 And U200 Attribute Comparison Infographic

How Long Does Each Tresiba Pen Last?

How long a Tresiba FlexTouch pen will last depends on which strength pen you are using (U-100 or U-200) and the units of insulin per day you are taking. Remember:

One Tresiba U-100 FlexTouch pen contains 300 units of insulin per pen.
One Tresiba U-200 FlexTouch pen contains 600 units of insulin per pen.

The chart below details how long one Tresiba FlexTouch pen will last based on the number of units you are injecting per day. The chart starts at 10 units per day, the recommended starting dose per the manufacturer for most individuals.

How Long One Tresiba FlexTouch Pen Lasts Based On Units Used Per Day

Insulin Units Used Per Day	Tresiba FlexTouch U-100	Tresiba FlexTouch U-200
10	30 Days	56 Days (Per Expiration)
11	27 Days	54 Days
12	25 Days	50 Days
13	23 Days	46 Days
14	21 Days	42 Days
15	20 Days	40 Days
16	18 Days	37 Days
17	17 Days	35 Days
18	16 Days	33 Days
19	15 Days	31 Days
20	15 Days	30 Days
21	14 Days	28 Days
22	13 Days	27 Days
23	13 Days	26 Days
24	12 Days	25 Days
25	12 Days	24 Days
26	11 Days	23 Days
27	11 Days	22 Days
28	10 Days	21 Days
29	10 Days	20 Days
30	10 Days	20 Days
31	9 Days	19 Days
32	9 Days	18 Days
33	9 Days	18 Days
34	8 Days	17 Days
35	8 Days	17 Days
36	8 Days	16 Days
37	8 Days	16 Days
38	7 Days	15 Days
39	7 Days	15 Days
40	7 Days	15 Days
41	7 Days	14 Days
42	7 Days	14 Days
43	6 Days	13 Days
44	6 Days	13 Days
45	6 Days	13 Days
46	6 Days	13 Days
47	6 Days	12 Days
48	6 Days	12 Days
49	6 Days	12 Days
50	6 Days	12 Days
51	5 Days	11 Days
52	5 Days	11 Days
53	5 Days	11 Days
54	5 Days	11 Days
55	5 Days	10 Days
56	5 Days	10 Days
57	5 Days	10 Days
58	5 Days	10 Days
59	5 Days	10 Days
60	5 Days	10 Days
61	4 Days	9 Days
62	4 Days	9 Days
63	4 Days	9 Days
64	4 Days	9 Days
65	4 Days	9 Days
66	4 Days	9 Days
67	4 Days	8 Days
68	4 Days	8 Days
69	4 Days	8 Days
70	4 Days	8 Days
71	4 Days	8 Days
72	4 Days	8 Days
73	4 Days	8 Days
74	4 Days	8 Days
75	4 Days	8 Days
76	3 Days	7 Days
77	3 Days	7 Days
78	3 Days	7 Days
79	3 Days	7 Days
80	3 Days	7 Days
81	3 Days	7 Days
82	3 Days	7 Days
83	3 Days	7 Days
84	3 Days	7 Days
85	3 Days	7 Days
86	3 Days	6 Days
87	3 Days	6 Days
88	3 Days	6 Days
89	3 Days	6 Days
90	3 Days	6 Days
91	3 Days	6 Days
92	3 Days	6 Days
93	3 Days	6 Days
94	3 Days	6 Days
95	3 Days	6 Days
96	3 Days	6 Days
97	3 Days	6 Days
98	3 Days	6 Days
99	3 Days	6 Days
100	3 Days	6 Days
101	2 Days	5 Days
102	2 Days	5 Days
103	2 Days	5 Days
104	2 Days	5 Days
105	2 Days	5 Days
106	2 Days	5 Days
107	2 Days	5 Days
108	2 Days	5 Days
109	2 Days	5 Days
110	2 Days	5 Days
111	2 Days	5 Days
112	2 Days	5 Days
113	2 Days	5 Days
114	2 Days	5 Days
115	2 Days	5 Days
116	2 Days	5 Days
117	2 Days	5 Days
118	2 Days	5 Days
119	2 Days	5 Days
120	2 Days	5 Days
121	2 Days	4 Days
122	2 Days	4 Days
123	2 Days	4 Days
124	2 Days	4 Days
125	2 Days	4 Days
126	2 Days	4 Days
127	2 Days	4 Days
128	2 Days	4 Days
129	2 Days	4 Days
130	2 Days	4 Days
131	2 Days	4 Days
132	2 Days	4 Days
133	2 Days	4 Days
134	2 Days	4 Days
135	2 Days	4 Days
136	2 Days	4 Days
137	2 Days	4 Days
138	2 Days	4 Days
139	2 Days	4 Days
140	2 Days	4 Days
141	2 Days	4 Days
142	2 Days	4 Days
143	2 Days	4 Days
144	2 Days	4 Days
145	2 Days	4 Days
146	2 Days	4 Days
147	2 Days	4 Days
148	2 Days	4 Days
149	2 Days	4 Days
150	2 Days	4 Days
151	1 Day	3 Days
152	1 Day	3 Days
153	1 Day	3 Days
154	1 Day	3 Days
155	1 Day	3 Days
156	1 Day	3 Days
157	1 Day	3 Days
158	1 Day	3 Days
159	1 Day	3 Days
160	1 Day	3 Days

Note: Tresiba FlexTouch pens must be 'primed' with 2 units of insulin each dose. Insulin lost from priming should not significantly affect how long one Tresiba FlexTouch pen lasts. Most manufacturers provide some overfill to account for the insulin used for priming.

References

Elsevier ClinicalKey: Insulin Degludec Monograph (Accessed 2/25/19)
Tresiba Prescribing Information
Clinical use of Insulin Degludec: Practical Experience and Pragmatic Suggestions. PubMed

Dr. Brian Staiger Pharm.D

Dr. Brian Staiger is a licensed pharmacist in New York State and the founder of the Q+A website PharmacistAnswers.com. He graduated from the University At Buffalo with a Doctor of Pharmacy degree in 2010.

He has been featured in numerous publications including the Huffington Post as well as a variety of health and pharmacy-related blogs.

Please feel free to reach out to him directly if you have any inquiries or want to connect! He's answered thousands of medication and pharmacy-related questions and he's ready to answer yours!