Everyone on this insulin is to be switched by 30 November. A national alert has gone out
What happened
A National Patient Safety Alert has been issued about an insulin that thousands of people in this country still use every day. The alert went out on 1 October 2026 and concerns Levemir - a long-acting insulin made by Novo Nordisk. It carries the ID 103280 on the MHRA's Central Alerting System. It covers two products: Levemir FlexPen 100 units/ml pre-filled 3ml pens, and Levemir Penfill 100 units/ml 3ml cartridges. Levemir is being discontinued. That decision was announced by Novo Nordisk back in August 2025, and the product is due to stop being available from the end of December 2026, when remaining stock is expected to run out. The alert does two things. First, it says no new patient should be started on any Levemir product. If someone takes a Levemir prescription into a pharmacy, they should be referred back to their prescriber to arrange a switch to a different insulin. Second, it sets a date. Everyone still using Levemir should be switched to an alternative no later than 30 November 2026. That is under eight weeks away.
Why this matters
Levemir is a basal insulin. That means it is the slow, background insulin that keeps blood sugar steady between meals and overnight. For a person with type 1 diabetes, it is not optional and it cannot be skipped. For many people with type 2 diabetes, it is a core part of their treatment. So "the pharmacy hasn't got it" is not an inconvenience here. It is a serious clinical problem. The reason an alert has been issued now, rather than at the point of discontinuation, is that the switching is not happening fast enough. Figures from the prescribing analysts Rx-info, reported in The Pharmaceutical Journal, show how much Levemir is being dispensed across primary and secondary care in England. In April 2026 it was about 1.27 million defined daily doses. By July 2026 it had fallen to about 870,000 - roughly a third less. That is real progress by a lot of busy clinical teams. But on that trend, the reduction "looks to be falling short of a fully managed exit by December 2026". In other words, if nothing changes, some people will still be on Levemir when it is no longer there to collect. There is also an early warning sign. Pharmacies in some areas are already reporting intermittent supply problems - meaning some people may find it hard to get hold of before the official end date. The difference between a managed switch and an unmanaged one is the whole point. A managed switch is an appointment, a conversation, a new pen to get used to, and closer blood sugar checks for a few weeks. An unmanaged one is someone turning up for their insulin and finding the shelf empty.
What the evidence actually says
The first thing to be clear about, because the phrase "patient safety alert" sounds alarming: nothing has been found wrong with Levemir. This is a commercial discontinuation, not a safety withdrawal. No side effect, no contamination, no recall. The medicine has not become dangerous. The safety risk the alert is about is the switch not happening in time. That distinction is exactly what clinical teams are being asked to understand. Hannah Syed, a diabetes specialist pharmacist at East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust, told The Pharmaceutical Journal: "It is important that pharmacy teams recognise this is a product discontinuation rather than a temporary supply issue." It is a useful sentence for patients too. With a temporary shortage, you wait it out and it comes back. Here there is nothing to wait for. What takes its place? The alert points to alternative basal insulins, including insulin glargine U100 and U300. It also contains a piece of planning advice that shows some hard-won experience: local teams are told to spread their prescribing across different alternatives rather than all moving their patients onto the same one. If everybody switches to one product, the result is simply the next shortage. Switching basal insulin is routine clinical work, but it is not like swapping one brand of paracetamol for another. The doses are not identical between different insulins, the pens and cartridges work differently, and some people need more monitoring through the change than others. That is why the alert talks about counselling on dosing, device training and close glucose monitoring, and why pharmacists are told to make sure a patient has enough insulin in hand before sending them back to the prescriber. Now the limits of what is known. There is no published figure for exactly how many people in the UK are still taking Levemir. Defined daily doses measure how much is being dispensed, not how many individuals are involved. So the honest position is that the number is substantial and falling, but nobody has put a reliable headcount on it.
Qurexa perspective
This is the kind of change that sits right in the middle of what we do. We deliver prescriptions and support people with taking their medicines correctly, and a switch of basal insulin is one of the moments where things genuinely go wrong - not through carelessness, but because a familiar routine changes all at once. If your insulin is changed, the item on your delivery changes too. The box will look different. The pen may feel different. The number of units on the label may not be the number you have used for years, because the new insulin is not always dose-for-dose the same. So when your delivery arrives after a switch, check what is in the bag against what your diabetes team told you to expect. If it does not match, ring the pharmacy before you use it. Please do not work out a dose yourself. The other thing we see often enough to mention: people wait until they are on their last pen before sorting out a prescription. With a product that is being withdrawn, that margin is gone. Order early this time.
Practical advice
If you or someone you care for uses Levemir: 1. Get in touch with your GP practice or diabetes team now. Do not wait to be contacted. Appointments for this are happening over a number of months and the deadline is 30 November. 2. If you already have a diabetes appointment booked before the end of November, keep it and raise Levemir there. 3. If you are on a patient-initiated follow-up pathway - where you book your own appointments - the system is waiting for you to call. 4. Check how much insulin you have left. If you are running low, say so when you ring, so you are not left short while the switch is arranged. 5. When you do switch, write down three things: the new insulin's name, your new dose, and how the new device works. Ask for a demonstration if you have not used that type of pen before. 6. Expect to check your blood sugar more often for a while, and ask what readings should prompt you to ring back. 7. Never stop taking your basal insulin because you have run out of the old one, and never switch yourself to a different insulin without advice. If you cannot reach your team and you are running out, ring NHS 111. 8. After the switch, check your repeat prescription list so the old item is removed and the new one is on it.
What to know
The short version: - A National Patient Safety Alert issued on 1 October 2026 (ID 103280) says all patients on Levemir insulin must be switched to an alternative by 30 November 2026. - Levemir FlexPen and Levemir Penfill are both covered. The product is due to be discontinued from the end of December 2026, when stock is expected to run out. - No new patients are to be started on Levemir, and anyone presenting a Levemir prescription should be referred back to their prescriber. - This is a commercial discontinuation, not a safety problem with the medicine. The safety risk is people being left without a basal insulin. - Dispensing fell from about 1.27 million defined daily doses in April 2026 to about 870,000 in July 2026, which analysts say is still short of a fully managed exit by December. - Alternatives include insulin glargine U100 and U300. Doses are not identical between insulins, so switches need proper advice and closer monitoring. - If you use Levemir, contact your GP practice or diabetes team now rather than waiting. Sources: The Pharmaceutical Journal, "Patient safety alert issued as insulin treatment switching lags behind discontinuation deadline", 5 October 2026, https://pharmaceutical-journal.com/article/news/patient-safety-alert-issued-as-insulin-treatment-switching-lags-behind-discontinuation-deadline | The Pharmacist, "National patient safety alert issued for insulin products", 5 October 2026, https://www.thepharmacist.co.uk/in-practice/national-patient-safety-alert-issued-for-insulin-products/ | Breakthrough T1D UK, "Novo Nordisk to discontinue Levemir insulin by end of 2026", 16 June 2026, https://breakthrought1d.org.uk/news/novo-nordisk-to-discontinue-levemir-insulin-by-end-of-2026/ This article is for general information and does not replace advice from a doctor, pharmacist or other qualified healthcare professional. Never change or stop your insulin without advice from your diabetes team. If you are unwell, running out of insulin, or unsure what dose to take, contact your GP practice, your diabetes team or NHS 111.
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