There have been two media reports of clusters of complaints about NovoRapid, the fast-acting insulin produced by Novo Nordisk, in Australia and New Zealand. While the evidence gathered from these complaints has not been enough for the company or health officials in the two countries to issue a recall of the product, it has motivated Novo Nordisk to retest some of the insulin in question.
In a Gold Coast Bulletin report, Selena Trainer of Miami, Australia described her suspicions that NovoRapid was behind the blood sugar swings her daughter with Type 1 was experiencing over a two-month period. Since going public with the issue, Trainer says she has received more than 100 messages from other NovoRapid users in Australia and New Zealand who have had similar concerns with the insulin. Also, a Stuff.co.nz report cited the experience of a woman (whose name was withheld at her request) who said she was experiencing blood sugar swings after 15 years of using NovoRapid; she was contacted by 28 other NovoRapid users with similar concerns after discussing the issue online, according to the report.
Mark Gibson, Novo Nordisk’s spokesman in Australia, said in the Stuff.co.nz report that the company has been working with health officials in the two countries to monitor the batch of customer complaints. The company also has retested batches of NovoRapid for sale in the region. However, Gibson said, there is currently insufficient evidence to link the problems reported to NovoRapid, and so far no recall has been enacted.
In a telephone interview with Insulin Nation, Novo Nordisk spokesman Ken Inchausti said that there has not been a similar cluster of complaints about NovoRapid in the U.S. Any insulin user who has concerns about the insulin they are using should contact their medical professional as soon as possible to discuss those concerns.
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