The Danish drug company - Novo Nordisk - recently announced the approval of its Levemir® (insulin detemir) by the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.

Levemir® (insulin detemir) is Novo Nordisk's long-acting modern insulin for use in type 1 and type 2 diabetes including combination treatment with oral antidiabetics (OADs).

Novo Nordisk expects to launch Levemir® in Japan in its prefilled FlexPen® device and in Penfill® for its NovoPen® injection systems before the end of 2007.

With the new approval, Novo Nordisk will be the only company in Japan offering rapid-acting, pre-mixed as well as long-acting modern insulins, allowing doctors and patients to tailor insulin regimens to each patient's individual needs.

Approved in Europe in 2004 and in the US in 2005, Levemir® (insulin detemir) is currently marketed in 58 countries worldwide.

Find more details from Novo Nordisk's press release.

Update 23/10/07: My huge apologies to readers who got offended with the previous photo included in this post. It wasn't meant to be offensive, my fault for not thinking twice before publishing.

My sincerest apologies,

Gloria