Diabetes Care Revolution: India Gets Weekly Insulin

Nearly 104 years after daily insulin was first introduced, Indian patients with diabetes now have access to a once-a-week alternative. Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk launched Awiqli (insulin icodec) recently, marking India's first weekly basal insulin for adults managing Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. India is among the initial dozen countries to receive this new treatment.

This innovation is seen by medical professionals not as a replacement for daily insulin but as an expansion of treatment choices for the estimated 101 million people living with diabetes in India. Awiqli significantly reduces the number of injections from 365 annually to just 52. Clinical trials involving over 4,000 adults, including Indian participants, indicated that this weekly regimen achieved better HbA1c reduction compared to daily basal insulin.

While welcomed as a significant advancement, experts suggest the weekly insulin may not be suitable for all patients. It is considered most beneficial for individuals who still produce some insulin naturally and primarily require basal insulin replacement. Those needing multiple daily injections might not see the same level of benefit. Furthermore, the increasing availability of newer weight-loss drugs and GLP-1 receptor agonists may gradually decrease the overall need for basal insulin in the future.