About the changes to the supply of insulin products

Update: The vial presentation of Humalog, Humulin NPH, Humulin R and Humulin 30/70 will be discontinued from August 2026, but KwikPen and cartridge presentations of these products are and will remain available.

We have been notified by pharmaceutical companies Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly that they are discontinuing some of their insulin products. In many cases, although one presentation of a product is discontinued, the medicine will remain available in a different presentation. For example, a vial presentation may be replaced by a prefilled pen or cartridge.

Affected products are listed in the table below, with more information about individual products in the sections that follow.

We recognise the vital role of insulin for people with diabetes in Australia. We will work with the sponsor to minimise the impact of these discontinuations by providing early advice that includes alternative options, where available.  

We will inform patients and health care professionals about any changes in the availability of individual insulin products through alerts and updates to this page. 

Updated information will also be available in the Medicine Shortage Reports Database - search by the active ingredient ‘Insulin’ and filter by the ‘Discontinuations’ tab on the database homepage.   

The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care (the Commission) has published a fact sheet for all patients affected by the discontinuation of insulin products.

Discontinuation of Novo Nordisk insulin products

Novo Nordisk has advised us that they will gradually discontinue some of their insulin products between 2024 and 2026. Most of these discontinued insulins will remain available in a different presentation. 

The sponsor has clarified that these discontinuations are part of a global strategy and are not related to product safety, quality or effectiveness. The Commission has published guidance for clinicians regarding strategies and safety considerations to help health care professionals respond to these discontinuations.

Levemir Flexpen and Penfill

Levemir Flexpen and Penfill products (insulin detemir) will not be available from December 2026. There are no Levemir or insulin detemir medicines expected to remain on the market from 2027. People who use Levemir insulin are encouraged to discuss these discontinuations with their prescriber. 

We are working with the sponsor to minimise the impact of these discontinuations on patients. We will continue to monitor the supply of Levemir and will publish updates to this webpage when new information is available.

Protaphane Innolet and Penfill

Protaphane InnoLet was deleted from the market in February 2025. Protaphane Penfill is expected to be discontinued from December 2026. From 2027, it is expected that only the vial presentation of Protaphane will remain available.

To help manage the discontinuation of Protaphane Innolet, we have made a Serious Scarcity Substitution Instrument (SSSI). The SSSI allows a pharmacist, where appropriate, to dispense Protaphane Penfill cartridges in place of Protaphane Innolet without a new prescription from the prescriber. 

The resources below about the Protaphane Innolet discontinuation have been developed by the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care (ACSQHC) and diabetes expert groups: 

• ACSQHC fact sheet for clinicians - how to respond to the discontinuation of Protaphane InnoLet
• Consensus advice for health services and clinicians following the discontinuation of the Protaphane InnoLet device. 

Please go to About the discontinuation of Protaphane InnoLet human insulin cartridges for more information. 

Ryzodeg FlexTouch Prefilled Pen

Ryzodeg FlexTouch was deleted from the market in February 2025. It is expected that Ryzodeg Penfill will remain available.

Fiasp FlexTouch and Vials

Fiasp vials were deleted from the market from October 2024. Fiasp Flextouch was deleted from the market from March 2025. Is it expected that Fiasp Penfill will remain available.

Actrapid Penfill

Actrapid penfill cartridges will be discontinued from December 2026. It is expected that Actrapid insulin will remain available in a vial presentation. People who use Actrapid insulin in penfills are encouraged to discuss this discontinuation with their prescriber.

Discontinuation of Eli Lilly insulin products

Eli Lilly has advised us of the discontinuation of the vial presentations of the following insulins from August 2026:

• Humalog (insulin lispro)
• Humulin R (insulin)
• Humulin NPH (isophane insulin)
• Humulin 30/70 (biosynthetic human/neutral isophane insulin).

The sponsor has confirmed that these discontinuations are global and related to commercial decisions. Alternative presentations of these insulins are expected to remain available, including KwikPen and cartridge dose forms. We will continue to monitor the situation and publish updates to this page when new information is available.