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An FYI on what you need to know about insulin supply issues in the UK

Anna DUK

Anna DUK

Online Community Team Leader
Staff member
Relationship to Diabetes
At risk of diabetes
Pronouns
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Hello all, popping our updated webpage on the latest information regarding insulin supplies:

www.diabetes.org.uk

What you need to know about insulin supply issues in the UK

NovoRapid PumpCart The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said on 4 June 2025 that supplies of the NovoRapid PumpCart 1.6ml cartridges, made by Novo Nordisk, will be in limited supply throughout this year. The NovoRapid (insulin aspart) PumpCart cartridges are used in the mylife...
www.diabetes.org.uk www.diabetes.org.uk
 
Thank you for sharing @Anna DUK
It is a very long list of unavailable or limited insulin supplies.
I have informed my MP and asked her what the government is doing to mitigate this and further shortages.
Is there anything else that can but done to highlight the ongoing problem?
 
helli said:
Thank you for sharing @Anna DUK
It is a very long list of unavailable or limited insulin supplies.
I have informed my MP and asked her what the government is doing to mitigate this and further shortages.
Is there anything else that can but done to highlight the ongoing problem?
Click to expand...
It's great that you have already informed your MP. I hope you hear back soon and if you're happy to share the response here that would be good to know. I don't think there is anything more that can be done at this time; we know the DHSC is aware of the issue working with NHS England and clinical experts to plan for this discontinuation. We will know more on which alternatives will be available and appropriate in the coming months.
 
John Gray said:
@Anna DUK
Perhaps you could thank whoever wrote that article, for it is both straightforward and well-written.
Click to expand...
Thank you, I will pass this feedback onto our content team. :star:
 
Creon, Insulin, Trusteel Infusion Sets..............can it get any worse
 
Ah! Had some issues with getting my Novorapid supplies in recent weeks & seems to be sorted out now. But, have noticed a difference in the boxes & pens from the original Flextouch to Flexpen now. Apart from aesthetics as far as I can tell everything is exactly the same!

The same with some patchiness in getting Tresiba Flextouch boxes & pens! Hopefully, that’ll be sorted out too with alternatives?
 
@Lanny if you are using the single use pens, I highly recommend asking for the reusable ones. They are much better
- more robust
- have a reminder on the end when you took your last dose
- they don't seem to be in short supply (at the moment)
- better for the environment
- you only need to store the (unopened) cartridges in your fridge so more space for important things like ham and cheese.

I recommend requesting different colour pens for your NovoRapid and Tresiba as well as a spare as they don't last for ever and you don't want to be without.
 
@helli I’m on very high doses of Novorapid & Tresiba so that means a lot of boxes of cartridges. In the case of Tresiba with only 3 pens in a box I’m on double strength 200units/ml! My surgery only allows me to order insulin 1 box at a time so, I order 1 box of Novorapid every week & Tresiba about every month, in the summer right now, & every fortnight in the winter. I would have to order a lot more times for 1 box of cartridges! I’ve asked many times before for more than 1 box of insulin at a time but, it’s still only 1 box!
 
Lanny said:
@helli I’m on very high doses of Novorapid & Tresiba so that means a lot of boxes of cartridges. In the case of Tresiba with only 3 pens in a box I’m on double strength 200units/ml! My surgery only allows me to order insulin 1 box at a time so, I order 1 box of Novorapid every week & Tresiba about every month, in the summer right now, & every fortnight in the winter. I would have to order a lot more times for 1 box of cartridges! I’ve asked many times before for more than 1 box of insulin at a time but, it’s still only 1 box!
Click to expand...
Switching to cartridges and reusable pens would make no difference to this.
The reusable pens deliver the same insulin as the single use pens. It is just that the pens are far better and the insulin comes in cartridges and I would assume you would get the same number of cartridges as you do pens.
 
@Lanny, unless you asked your Surgery for the increases very recently, I would try again.

Phone, ask to speak to the in-house Practice Pharmacist; these are now in place across all of NI, matching the arrangements in England. See text below from a Google search:

"all GP practices in Northern Ireland now have a pharmacist working as part of their clinical team. This is a result of a five-year government commitment to invest in a General Practice Pharmacist (GPP) service, which was fully implemented by 2020. These pharmacists work as integral members of the practice team, alongside GPs, to improve patient care and outcomes."

I would like to believe that the Pharmacist has the necessary authority without having to consult your GP and would happily increase your repeat prescription arrangements, to provide a minimum of a month's resupply on repeat. Also the Pharmacist can arrange for disposable pens to be replaced by reusable pens and disposable cartridges - not least because with your very high dosing requirements there would be far less waste, better for the environment and should be much more cost effective for the NHS. Your "winning arguments" should be firstly that requesting weekly is wholly unreasonable and secondly having pens that told you when you last injected is far safer than you accidentally taking a potential major overdose.
 
I will try & speak to the pharmacist tomorrow & put in a request for reusable pens & cartridges on the online prescription form just now but, probably won’t be in time for today! Also, requested being able to order a month’s supply as well of 4 boxes of NR & 2 of double strength Tresiba!

Thanks to @heli @Proud to be erratic & @Bruce Stephens :thankyou: 🙂
 
Lanny said:
I will try & speak to the pharmacist tomorrow & put in a request for reusable pens & cartridges on the online prescription form just now but, probably won’t be in time for today! Also, requested being able to order a month’s supply as well of 4 boxes of NR & 2 of double strength Tresiba!

Thanks to @heli @Proud to be erratic & @Bruce Stephens :thankyou: 🙂
Click to expand...
It is likely that your prescription will need to be changed so you may need to contact your GP surgery.
My surgery has a "prescribing pharmacist" who makes such changes.
This is different to the dispensing pharmacist who gives you what is on the script.
 
helli said:
It is likely that your prescription will need to be changed so you may need to contact your GP surgery.
My surgery has a "prescribing pharmacist" who makes such changes.
This is different to the dispensing pharmacist who gives you what is on the script.
Click to expand...
As I pointed out earlier @Lanny - contact the in house pharmacist, who is that prescribing person.
 
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