1. An apparatus that sets a basal rate profile, wherein the basal rate profile defines the basal rate delivery for a selected time interval and has a pre-defined number of profile segments each of which define the basal rate delivery for a subset of the selected time interval, the apparatus comprising: a touch screen; an input unit configured to receive input of a curve representing a basal rate as a continuous function of time by a continuous movement of an object across a display area of the touch screen backward in time with respect to a time axis and by a scanning of a pre-drawn curve, wherein a selection can be made between the drawn or scanned curve; and a calculation unit that is configured to generate the basal rate profile from the selected curve by an assignment of curve values at selected time instances to the pre-defined number of profile segments.