Today, India is called the ‘Diabetes Capital’ of the world with more than 8% of the population affected by the pandemic. This equates to 41 million people. And frighteningly, more than 50% of people with diabetes are unaware of their condition, costing society millions of rupees in treating the many serious complications that arise from undiagnosed or poorly treated diabetes (blindness, kidney failure, nerve diseases, limb amputations and cardiovascular diseases). In some countries, as many as 80% may not know they have the condition. Diabetes caused 3.8 million deaths globally in 2007, more than 6% of total world mortality and similar in magnitude to that reported for HIV/AIDS in the year 2002. Every 10 seconds, a person dies of a diabetes-related illness, and it is the fourth leading cause of death by disease globally.
To prevent diabetes, people need insulin that is beneficial and can provide good glycaemic control in both types of diabetes (Type 1 and Type 2) and reduced rates of hypoglycaemia. An increase in weight can have an adverse effect on an individual’s cardiovascular risk profile. If a patient delays initiating insulin treatment due to fear of weight gain, glucose levels can remain uncontrolled, putting the patient at increased risk of the complications associated with diabetes. Weight gain can also affect a patient’s psychological well-being, quality of life and persistence with their diabetes treatment regimen. In contrast; even modest weight loss results in substantial health benefits such as improved insulin sensitivity, decreased blood pressure and reduced overall cardiovascular risk.
Novo Nordisk, in order to meet these needs, has come up with Levemir, long-acting modern insulin (insulin analogue) that can cover the body’s basal insulin need. According to a study with modern basal insulin versus the older and commonly used NPH insulin, the weight advantage of Levemir® is sustainable, while simultaneously providing significantly better glycaemic control and reduced nocturnal hypoglycaemia.
The benefits of Levemir® are further confirmed in the large randomised clinical trial PREDICTIVE® 303, involving more than 5,000 patients. Type 2 diabetes patients who were switched from NPH insulin or insulin glargine to Levemir® over a period of 26 weeks actually lost weight, while still experiencing significant improvements in glycaemic control and reduced rates of hypoglycemia. The fact that Levemir® provides better glycaemic control, less nocturnal hypoglycaemia and less weight gain relative to NPH insulin over a period of two years is a clinical confirmation of the superior action profile of Levemir®.
