Novo Nordisk to withdraw animal insulin products
Animal insulins are still used by some patients with diabetes |
Novo Nordisk has announced that it is withdrawing its animal insulin products from the UK market in response to dwindling demand.
The decision comes after the company held
off its plans to do so last
year (PJ 1 October 2005, p401). However, animal insulin products will
remain available from Novo Nordisk until December 2007. The move away
from animal insulins is financially motivated, with the company citing
a 20 per cent decline in demand over the past year. With that in mind,
the company is expecting to fund further research into diabetes care.
Viggo Birch, managing director of Novo Nordisk, said: “We have
been in discussions with the Department of Health, Diabetes UK and diabetes
specialists across the UK. This announcement is part of our commitment
to provide adequate warning of the discontinuation, so as to ensure that
the few patients still on Novo Nordisk’s animal insulin in the
UK are transferred to suitable alternative insulins.”
The decision has been made despite health minister Jane Kennedy saying
last year that the animal insulins should remain available. She confirmed
that the Department of Health fully recognised animal insulin better
suited some people.
Patients affected by the change will be able to obtain alternative animal
insulin products from Wockhardt UK. Gordon Urquhart, head of regulatory
and drug safety at Wockhardt UK said that the company has been committed
to providing naturally derived porcine and bovine insulins for many years.
He said: “We have always recognised the medical needs and preferences
of each individual person with diabetes and believe in maintaining freedom
of choice for those needing insulin. We have no plans to discontinue
any of our [animal] insulin range.”
Bill Hartnett, speaking on behalf of Diabetes UK, said that the decision
by Novo Nordisk was disappointing. “It is important that Novo Nordisk
and the Department of Health, as well as any health professionals working
with these patients, ensure that the transition is dealt with effectively,
and that people are not left on the fringes with their diabetes less
well managed. There needs to be a genuine dialogue between doctors and
patients to make sure that the concerns of patients — particularly
those who may have significant problems transferring from their current
choice of insulin — are taken on board.”
Inhaled insulin The first inhaled human insulin,
Exubera (developed as a joint venture between Aventis and Pfizer),
has been granted marketing authorisation by the European Commission,
on the recommendation of the European Medicines Agency.
This allows production of the dry powder insulin formulation and its inhaler
device to commence. The product represents a new treatment option for certain
patients with type 1 diabetes or with type 2 diabetes requiring insulin.
Pfizer will be launching an education and support programme in the coming weeks,
and Exubera is expected to become available in the UK in May this year.
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