We are asking for the US government to do following:
- Ask Novo Nordisk to continue to supply Levemir(detemir) insulin, possibly by licensing it to another manufacturer, until biosimilars are available.
- Incentivize domestic manufacturing of detemir insulin.
Novo Nordisk, the sole manufacturer of Levemir insulin for the past 19 years, has announced the discontinuation of this safe, shorter-acting basal insulin. Without Levemir available, pregnancy outcomes will decline, as it is the basal insulin proven for use in pregnancy. Many who require insulin are unable to use an insulin pump for a variety of reasons, and are being forced to use one of the only two remaining basal insulins which last much longer: glargine (Lantus and biosimilars, lasting 20 hours) or degludec (Tresiba, lasting 42 hours). Some individuals do not tolerate these alternatives due to a variety of factors which may include inflexibility, increased potential for unpredictable hypoglycemic events, pain upon injection, and weight gain.
Levemir is also the only basal insulin that can be diluted, necessary for small children, We need assistance having continued access to Levemir insulin or biosimilars.
We depend mainly on three companies for the insulin many require to survive, most of which is manufactured in other countries. Over $150 million in federal funds are allocated to diabetes research annually. We would appreciate if a portion of this is used to incentivize domestic insulin production, specifically detemir insulin for the health of pregnant women, as well as others who uniquely need this shorter-acting basal insulin.