Nurses and other health professionals are being reminded that the diabetes drug Levemir is being withdrawn this year.
NHS England has issued a reminder to health professionals that stocks are expected to be depleted by the end of December 2026.
Nurse prescribers and other prescribing health professionals have been asked not to start any new patients on Levemir and for any patients currently prescribed it to be switched to an alternative insulin.
Writing in its latest Primary Care Bulletin, NHS England suggested that, if possible, switches should be carried out as part of a planned review.
Health professionals have been urged to ‘consider the supply position of alternative insulins to avoid further disruptions’.
For example, NHS England said: ‘Supplies of Humulin I and Abasaglar cannot support a significant increase in demand and should not be routinely used unless there is a clear clinical need.’
It added: ‘The advice is to begin identifying and switching affected patients to appropriate alternatives in line with ABCD/PCDO national guidance, taking into account availability information in the Medicines Supply Notice.’
A new Nursing in Practice 365 module focuses on how best practice guidelines should be applied to optimise treatment and address patients’ individual clinical priorities within diabetes care.
Diabetes nurse specialist Molly Mckeown highlights three ‘real-life’ scenarios.