‘Diabetes capital’ India slated to get world’s 1st once-a-week insulin ‘by 2025’

Danish pharma giant Novo Nordisk's Icodec could be game-changer for diabetics. The drug is nearing regulatory approval in US & EU, says company

World’s first once-a-week insulin, Icodec, by Danish pharma giant Novo Nordisk, may be available in India in 2025, the company’s corporate vice-president and India managing director Vikrant Shrotriya told ThePrint in an interview. 

“Our company has been particular about bringing the latest innovations to India as quickly as possible and this crucial product is slated to be available in India as early as 2025,” said Shrotriya.

In its financial report this May, the company, which completed 100 years early 2023, had said that it was set to file for the drug’s regulatory approval in the US, EU and China. 

Icodec has been hailed as a potential game-changer for diabetics who require insulin therapy as the current treatment regimen includes daily injection, or for some patients, even multiple injections per day.

The final results of the 52-week, phase-3 clinical trials for Icodec, conducted at 80 sites across nine countries, including India, to test its safety and efficacy, were published in The Lancet journal in May.

According to the study, in people with long-standing type 2 diabetes on a basal-bolus regimen (multiple injections a day), a once-a-week dose showed similar improvements in glycaemic control, compared to once-a-day insulin. Also, the findings showed that there were no significant safety concerns with the drug.

Type 1 diabetes is usually genetic and appears early in life, while Type 2 is associated with lifestyle and occurs over the years.

The arrival of Icodec may be crucial for a country like India, which is often referred to as the “diabetes capital of the world” and has a large number of people who need insulin. 

A study by the Indian Council of Medical Research, published in The Lancet this year, had shown that there are in India — much higher than previously estimated.

Novo Nordisk is known as the insulin-maker of the world, producing 50 percent of the world’s insulin supplies, but also focuses on solutions for chronic diseases, mainly type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, obesity, haemophilia and growth disorders.  

“While making insulin affordable and accessible is our strength, we are also looking to bring innovative products for diseases such as hemophilia, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, cardio-vascular ailments, Alzheimer’s disease and sickle cell anemia,” Shrotriya added.