Type 1 Levemir discontinuation

[Jane!]

Hi, does anyone know if is there is any action being taken from any of the UK organisations re Novanordisk discontinuing production of Levemir ? I’m aware of the Insulin Alliance group in the US ( see link) but haven’t heard of anything from anywhere else.

Home

alliancetoprotectinsulinchoice.org

Am dreading switching to Tresiba ( Lantus caused too many lows) as I adjust my basal on daily basis depending on exercise, travel time zones, illness, etc. and also split my dose as I need more insulin at night.

Am really hoping there are others challenging this and fighting for a biosimilar basal insulin

 

[Lily21]

Hi Jane,

I've been on Levemir (and NovoRapid) for many years now and it's helped me to achieve such good control. I didn't realise that Levemir was being discontinued and I feel pretty upset about the thought of having to change insulin. I'm not due to see my diabetes consultant until the summer so I haven't discussed the discontinuation with them yet but I've been looking at the alternatives to Levemir and none of them seem like a particularly good option for me. Like you, I struggled with lows while on Lantus, as well as stinging, burning and swelling around my injection sites every time I injected (I think due to the acidity). It was a major relief when I switched to Levemir and I was able to achieve good control without the undesirable effects of Lantus. I currently split my Levemir dose, taking quite a large amount in the morning and just a unit or two before bed. I get on really well with it and don't want to go back to taking Lantus. It seems that there are a lot of other glargine insulins out there but these all seem to be acidic. I've been looking at Tresiba but its profile seems rather flat (I think possibly too flat for me).
I don't know whether there is any action being taken from any of the UK organisations regarding discontinuing the production of Levemir but I'd love to hear about it if there is.

 

[EllieM]

Welcome to the DCUK forums @Lily21

Doesn't answer the original question but I am in New Zealand and don't/didn't get on with lantus, the only basal insulin available here without special authority. As a result I got given a pump. Just a thought as a possible tactic to cope with your issue, and a reason to give to your diabetic team so that they prioritise moving you to a pump.

And yes, I would have swapped to levemir had it been available.

 

[Nicola M]

It looks like they’re looking to discontinue it in the UK by the end of 2026. I suspect you won’t be able to get hold of it for a while before then though as they stop producing it. It’s likely your diabetes team will request you to try another basal before considering a pump to show you’ve tried all available options but nothing works for you. I had to do the same thing although it was 10 years ago now since I got my pump. I would still bring it up at your appointment though to see what they think