Tresiba counselling advice

No dose change required

Dispensing GP teams are alerted to new advice to support prescriptions for Tresiba (insuline degludec).

By no later than 22 December 2023 all providers must ensure that patients who have been switched to Tresiba (insulin degludec) FlexTouch® 200units/ml solution for injection 3ml prefilled pens are:

made aware that Tresiba FlexTouch pen delivery devices dial up in unit increments rather than volume and no dose change is necessary.

Primary care providers should:

Continue to follow the advice in the Medicine Supply Notification.
When prescribing Tresiba 100units/ml Penfill cartridges, ensure the patient is also supplied with a compatible Novo Nordisk insulin delivery system and appropriate needles.
For a small cohort of patients unable to use Tresiba 100units/ml Penfill cartridges a switch to Tresiba FlexTouch 200units/ml prefilled pens may be necessary, clinicians should not adjust the dose of insulin.
Ensure all patients initiated on a new device are counselled on the change and provided with training on their use, including signposting to training videos, and the potential need for closer monitoring of blood glucose levels.

Please see full guidance in the alert.

Tresiba FlexTouch 100units/ml pre-filled pens are out of stock until December 2024. Prescribers should not initiate new patients on Tresiba FlexTouch 100units/ml pens during this time and should consider prescribing Tresiba Penfill cartridges with a NovoPen 6 or Echo Plus, which can support increased demand.

Tresiba FlexTouch 200units/ml pre-filled pens are not able to support increased demand during the affected period and should not be prescribed as an alternative to Tresiba FlexTouch 100units/ml pens. Where switching to Tresiba Penfill® cartridges is not considered suitable, due to a patient’s dexterity or ability to use the new device, seek advice from specialist diabetes teams on the use of an alternative insulin.

MHRA alert