Weekly Insulin Jab and Type 2 Diabetes
Weekly insulin jab could make life easier for people with type 2 diabetes
Hundreds of thousands of people living with type 2 diabetes could soon have a new option when it comes to taking insulin.
A new treatment, known as Onswik, has been recommended for use on the NHS in England by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). Made by Eli Lilly, the treatment is designed to work similarly to daily insulin injections, but with one important difference: it only needs to be injected once a week.
If approved for use, the treatment could reduce the number of insulin injections some patients need by as much as 86% over a year.
However, people will have to wait a little longer before the treatment becomes available through the NHS. It still needs to be licensed by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), the UK’s medicines regulator.
Who could benefit from a weekly injection?
For many people, taking insulin every day is simply part of managing their diabetes. But for others, daily injections can be difficult, particularly if they need someone else to help them.
Diabetes UK estimates that around one in four people with type 2 diabetes uses insulin. A weekly injection could make a particularly big difference to frail people, those with sight loss, limited movement in their hands or those with learning disabilities.
It could also help people who find it difficult to remember or carry out all the steps involved in a daily insulin injection.
For those who rely on a family member, carer or healthcare professional to administer their insulin, reducing injections from every day to once a week could make managing the condition considerably easier.
More flexibility for patients and carers
Douglas Twenefour, Head of Clinical at Diabetes UK, said the treatment could make managing diabetes easier for people with additional care needs.
He said moving from daily injections to a once-weekly option could improve quality of life for some patients, while stressing the importance of having the right support and information to make treatment decisions.
That could be particularly important for people who already face additional challenges when accessing or managing diabetes care.
Helen Knight, Director of Medicines Evaluation at NICE, also highlighted the potential impact on people’s everyday lives, particularly those who depend on somebody else to help with their injections.
How common is diabetes in the UK?
Diabetes is one of the UK’s most common long-term health conditions.
Around 4.7 million people in the UK were living with diabetes in 2024-25, with approximately 90% of those cases being type 2 diabetes.
Type 2 diabetes occurs when the body either doesn’t produce enough insulin or doesn’t respond to insulin effectively. This is known as insulin resistance.
While lifestyle changes, medication and other treatments can all play a role in managing the condition, some people with type 2 diabetes eventually need insulin injections.
When could Onswik become available?
Although NICE has recommended the treatment, patients can’t access it immediately.
The MHRA must first decide whether it can license the treatment in the UK. Health officials are waiting for that ruling before deciding how to roll it out through the NHS.
The NICE recommendation applies to England. Wales often follows NICE guidance, while healthcare systems in Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own processes for assessing and approving medicines.
For now, the weekly insulin injection remains a potential new option rather than something patients can request from their GP. If it receives the necessary approval, however, it could offer greater flexibility to many people with type 2 diabetes – particularly those who find daily insulin injections difficult or rely on someone else for help.
For some patients, replacing 365 injections a year with around 52 could make a surprisingly big difference to everyday life.