Insulin production halt by Novo Nordisk has sparked a campaign by a patient advocacy group to stop the company from discontinuing the insulin product Levemir, arguing that it could leave some diabetics without an effective treatment. The Alliance to Protect Insulin Choice (APIC) says that alternative basal insulins – used to provide a background dose of insulin – are not always suitable for some patients, including children, teens, pregnant women, and athletes.
Levemir (insulin detemir) has a shorter duration of action than other long-acting basal insulins like Sanofi’s Lantus (insulin glargine) and biosimilars and Novo Nordisk’s newer product Tresiba (insulin degludec), but is more suitable for people with fluctuating basal insulin needs, claims the group. That shorter half-life makes it easier to adjust dosages to meet insulin needs, it maintains, while insulin glargine and insulin degludec have side effects that mean some patients are unable to take them.
Insulin Product Levemir Faces Discontinuation Despite Price Cut, Sparking Advocacy Efforts
Novo Nordisk has been selling the insulin product Levemir in the US for nearly 20 years and in March 2023 – under pressure from US lawmakers scrutinizing the cost of insulin products in the US marketplace – agreed to reduce the price of the product by 65%, effective at the start of 2024. The following November, however, the company said it would discontinue Levemir insulin by the end of 2024 and to expect supply disruptions from the middle of January, according to APIC.
APIC is lobbying Novo Nordisk to continue production of the insulin product Levemir until a biosimilar is widely available and asking the drugmaker to work with biosimilar manufacturers to make this happen as soon as possible. The organization has so far managed to obtain around 4,400 signatures in a petition urging Novo Nordisk to continue supplying Levemir worldwide.
Insulin Product Levemir Discontinuation Questioned by US Lawmakers Amid Manufacturing Expansion
Lawmakers in the US have taken notice of the ACIP’s concerns. US Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), and Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-Ga) have sent a letter to Novo Nordisk to request more information on the decision to discontinue production “before allowing the price reduction to go into effect.”
“Long-acting insulins are the most prescribed and commonly used insulin, accounting for nearly two-thirds of all insulin treatment visits,” the senators wrote. “Of the long-acting insulins, Levemir has the shortest duration and is the only insulin FDA-approved for pregnancy.” They also took issue with Novo Nordisk’s claim that its decision to discontinue the insulin product Levemir was tied to manufacturing constraints, pointing out that the company had recently announced the purchase of three manufacturing facilities from contract development and manufacturing organization Catalent for $11 billion.
That move – designed to ramp up the the insulin product of the company’s fast-growing GLP-1 agonist drugs Ozempic for diabetes and Wegovy for obesity – suggests “the company may be prioritizing profits over patient care,” said the senators. Patients have told Reuters that they have started stockpiling Levemir and using expired vials as they hope for a successful outcome from APIC’s campaign, while a spokesperson for the company reiterated its stance that manufacturing issues – as well as reduced insurance coverage in the US – were behind its decision.
Resource: Pharmaphorum, July 31, 2024
This article has been prepared with the assistance of AI and reviewed by an editor. For more details, please refer to our Terms and Conditions. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author.
