Insulin supply changes: what to do if your insulin is being discontinued
Diabetes UK sets out UK insulin supply changes, including the phased withdrawal of Levemir and the earlier discontinuation of Insulatard Penfill cartridges.
If your insulin is on a list of products being discontinued, it is unsettling, but this is a planned, manageable change, not a sudden shortage. Diabetes UK has set out several UK insulin supply changes, including the phased withdrawal of Levemir (a long-acting background insulin) and the earlier end of Insulatard Penfill cartridges. There is a like-for-like alternative, and your team plans the switch with you. The single most useful thing you can do is not leave it to the last box.
- Levemir (insulin detemir) is being discontinued across its range, with stock expected to last into 2026, so there is time to plan.
- This is a supply and switching issue, not a shortage of insulin in general: other insulins remain available.
- A switch is always worked out with your diabetes team or GP, never something to guess at yourself, because a different insulin can behave differently, and may run you low or high in the first days and weeks until the dose is fine-tuned, which is exactly what to watch for and report to your team.
- Ask for someone to show you any new pen or cartridge in person, since the device can differ even when the job is the same.
- Order your repeat in good time and check the exact product name on it, so a change does not surprise you at the pharmacy.
Which insulins are affected, and the timing
The change that affects the most people is Novo Nordisk discontinuing the Levemir range, the long-acting insulin also known as detemir. A medicines supply notice confirmed that both the FlexPen and the Penfill cartridge versions are being withdrawn, with remaining stock expected to run out around the end of 2026. Insulatard Penfill cartridges are ending sooner. Long-acting insulin is your background or basal insulin: the slow, steady insulin that works through the day and night, separate from the fast insulin taken with food.
The important word is planned. These are scheduled withdrawals with notice attached, not empty shelves. Other background insulins are available, and the health system has known, tested switches to move people onto. What it needs from you is not to wait until the final pen before acting.
Switching safely, without guessing
A switch from one insulin to another is a clinical decision, made with your diabetes team or GP, and this is the firm boundary: it is never something to work out from a chart or a forum, because a different insulin can act over a different length of time and your body may respond differently. That can nudge your glucose in either direction for a while, which is exactly why the change is planned rather than swapped blind. Your team decides the plan; your job is to start the conversation early and follow it.
Practically, order your repeat prescription in good time and read the exact product name on it, ask your GP or pharmacist to confirm the intended swap before you run low, and ask someone to show you any unfamiliar pen or cartridge in person so the device itself is not a surprise. Around the change, it makes sense to check your glucose more often than usual and to know who to call if it behaves unexpectedly. If you are ever genuinely close to running out of insulin, treat that as urgent: contact your team, your GP, or NHS 111 the same day.