Novo Nordisk Discontinuing Insulin Pens? Products and Timeline

Yes, in part. Novo Nordisk is phasing out some insulin pens, not all of them. Diabetes UK’s Levemir guidance says Levemir is being withdrawn worldwide, with all forms covered by the end of 2026. Human insulin pens are being phased out over time, and human insulin will be available only in vials, a Novo spokesperson told Reuters in 2024. Which products end, and when, depends on where you live, so the tables below list each product with its date. Ask your prescriber or pharmacist which product you use and whether a switch applies to you.

Quick facts, dated 2026-11-10

What did Novo Nordisk announce about insulin pens?

The Guardian reported on November 10, 2026 that Novo Nordisk has announced plans to phase out some older diabetes products, including insulin pens.

Novo’s own words on human insulin pens go back to 2024. A Novo spokesperson told Reuters that human insulin pens will be phased out over time worldwide, and human insulin will be available only in vials. Reuters linked the move to Novo’s push to make more of its obesity and diabetes injections. Novo also said it understood the effect on patients in South Africa and was in talks with South African health authorities about continued access.

The Access to Medicine Foundation’s 2026 Index is the Foundation’s own report, released November 10, 2026. It records that Novo Nordisk “began phasing out human insulin pen production amid manufacturing capacity constraints.”

Which insulin pens and products have dates?

Each row below gives one product, the place it applies to, the date the source gives and where that date comes from.

These dates apply only in the countries named.

Is Fiasp FlexTouch discontinued?

In Australia, the Therapeutic Goods Administration lists Fiasp FlexTouch with a March 2025 date for discontinuation. The same page lists Fiasp vials for December 2024 and says Fiasp Penfill is still expected to stay available. Your pharmacist can tell you how this applies to the pen you use.

What about Actrapid, Mixtard and Ryzodeg?

The Australian dates for these are listed in the table above. Mixtard 30 Penfill is listed for October 2024. Actrapid Penfill is listed for December 2026, and Actrapid in vials is still expected to stay available. Ryzodeg FlexTouch is listed for February 2025, while Ryzodeg Penfill is still expected to stay available. The TGA says Novo told it that it will gradually discontinue some insulin products between 2024 and 2026.

How do the United States and other countries differ?

In the United States, the dates in the sources are for Levemir. The Pediatric Endocrine Society says Novo announced on November 8, 2023 that Levemir would be phased out in the US, citing manufacturing constraints. It lists the FlexPen as discontinued April 1, 2024, and the vials as discontinued December 31, 2024.

Novo’s own Novo Nordisk US diabetes products page lists Levemir under “Discontinued Products” and says it is no longer available in the US.

Reuters notes that in wealthy nations such as the United States, most people with diabetes now use modern, or analogue, insulin rather than human insulin. In low- and middle-income countries, people use human insulin, which is cheaper and easier to make.

Outside the US, the dates vary. In the UK, Novo told health officials in September 2024 that it would stop making Levemir. In Australia, the TGA lists the dates above. In New Zealand, the Novo Nordisk page lists NovoMix 30 for December 2026.

What does the Access to Medicine warning mean for insulin users?

The Guardian’s November 10 report says Jay Iyer, chief executive of the Access to Medicine Foundation, warned that the rush into GLP-1 weight-loss drugs risks pulling drugmakers’ attention away from diabetes treatments such as insulin.

She named Sanofi, Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk, and said one of them “could leave the insulin market.” Iyer framed this as a stated risk, not an event. She said such an exit would be disastrous for insulin supply, especially for people with type 1 diabetes and insulin-dependent type 2 diabetes.

The Guardian says companies can earn greater margins on weight-loss injections and pills than on medicines such as insulin. Novo Nordisk said, as the Guardian reports, that it will “carefully review the index’s findings”. That includes chances to broaden access to analogue insulins and extend access plans to more low- and middle-income countries. This is the company speaking about itself.

The Foundation’s 2026 Index ranks 20 large drugmakers on access overall, using 29 indicators. Novo Nordisk ranked 11th, up from 12th in the previous Index. The report asks for clear, measurable commitments to keep insulin supply in place and for reliable, affordable human insulin to stay available.

What stays available, and who should you talk to?

The Foundation’s report says Novo’s human insulins Actrapid and Insulatard each reach about 60 countries, and NovoRapid is supplied in 52.

Diabetes UK advises that if you use Levemir and no appointment is booked by the end of November 2026, you should contact your diabetes team so your insulin can be switched. The page lists the insulin glargine products Lantus, Semglee and Toujeo, and the insulin degludec product Tresiba, and says to ask which one suits you. It also says to monitor blood sugar more closely at the switch and not to stockpile Levemir.

The TGA advises people using Levemir or Actrapid penfills to discuss the change with their prescriber.

Blood sugar readings can shift for many reasons, so it helps to know the basics. See what causes high blood sugar. Keeping a dated log of your readings and pens makes the appointment easier. Our weight loss treatment tracker shows what to record and why it helps.

Who does this affect?

It affects people using the products listed above, most directly those on Levemir or the older human insulin pens. The Foundation’s warning points to people with type 1 diabetes and insulin-dependent type 2 diabetes.

The International Diabetes Federation’s facts and figures say about 589 million adults aged 20 to 79 live with diabetes, and over 4 in 5 of them live in low- and middle-income countries. The Foundation’s report says 90% of adults with untreated diabetes live in those countries.

In a 2021 release, the WHO 2021 insulin availability report said that one of every two people needing insulin for type 2 diabetes does not get it.

Common mix-ups

On the GLP-1 question: Reuters names Ozempic as a diabetes drug and Wegovy as a weight-loss treatment, both from Novo Nordisk. The Foundation’s report also names Extensior as a second brand of Ozempic used in Brazil, India and South Africa. Neither is an insulin pen.

Questions to ask your prescriber or pharmacist

• Which exact product do I use, a pen or a vial, and which country’s label applies to it?
• Is my product on this list, and what date applies where I live?
• If my product is changing, what switch is planned, and do I need an appointment before the end of November 2026?
• Will my blood sugar checks change during a switch?
• Is any Huminsulin product I use affected?
• Can my pharmacy supply the pen I need for my prescription?

Questions about whether insulin can ever be stopped, how long a person can go without it, or whether a pancreas can make insulin again belong with your diabetes care team.

By the Primary Care Evidence Guide Team