Daijiworld Media Network – New Delhi
New Delhi, Jul 10: Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk has launched the world's first once-weekly basal insulin, Awiqli (insulin icodec), in India for adults with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, offering a treatment that reduces the number of insulin injections from 365 a year to just 52.
The company said the once-weekly therapy is designed to simplify diabetes management and address one of the key barriers to insulin therapy—the fear of daily injections.
Awiqli is administered once a week using Novo Nordisk's FlexTouch pen device. Basal insulin helps regulate blood sugar levels throughout the day, and the new treatment aims to improve patient adherence by replacing the conventional once-daily injection schedule.
The launch comes as India continues to face one of the world's largest diabetes burdens. An estimated 10.1 crore people in the country are living with diabetes, while around 13.6 crore have prediabetes. India also has over nine lakh people with Type 1 diabetes, and many patients with advanced Type 2 diabetes eventually require insulin therapy.
Novo Nordisk said fear of injections often delays insulin initiation by seven to nine years, even when patients could benefit from starting treatment earlier.
The company cited findings from its ONWARDS-1 clinical programme, which showed that Awiqli achieved greater reductions in HbA1c—a key indicator of long-term blood sugar control—compared with once-daily insulin glargine U100. The treatment also improved the time patients remained within their target blood sugar range while maintaining a comparable safety profile.
According to the company, a higher proportion of people with Type 2 diabetes achieved HbA1c levels below 7 per cent without experiencing hypoglycaemia.
Novo Nordisk India Managing Director Vikrant Shrotriya described the launch as a significant milestone in diabetes care, saying the once-weekly dosing could reduce both the physical and psychological burden of insulin therapy.
Endocrinologist Dr S.K. Wangnoo of Indraprastha Apollo Hospital said delayed insulin initiation and poor adherence remain major challenges in diabetes management. He noted that simpler treatment options could encourage more patients to begin insulin therapy at the appropriate time.
A nationwide study funded by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and published in 2022 found that only one in three people with known diabetes in India had their blood sugar under control, underlining the need for improved treatment adherence and better disease management.