Diabetes patients may not have to dread daily insulin shots anymore. An insulin pen with an ultra-fine needle that could make taking the injection less painful was introduced for sale on Tuesday. Doctors said products like insulin pens ensure that patients follow the treatment schedule more meticulously and help break down mental barriers associated with insulin treatment.

Multinational pharmaceutical company Sanofi launched indigenously-manufactured reusable insulin pen. With the market name AllStar, it can last about three years and can be filled with an insulin cartridge.

"People are scared of just the word injection and do not bother to go for the treatment. A prick from this pen does not hurt any more than a mosquito bite," said Dr Shashank Joshi, consultant endocrinologist, Lilavati Hospital, Bandra. ""The pens eliminate the need for a doctor or nurse."

A 2011 paper in Journal of the Associations of Physicians in India described conventional insulin delivery methods as "time consuming, cumbersome, inconvenient and painful" and posing a "high risk of dosage errors."