Weekly insulin jab for type 2 diabetes may replace daily injections, NHS review finds

A weekly insulin injection could cut the number of shots required by people with type 2 diabetes by 86 %, a change that could free up NHS resources and make treatment easier for patients who struggle with daily injections. The new jab, called Onswik and produced by Eli Lilly, has been recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) as an alternative to the current daily insulin injections, but it will not be available on the NHS until the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) licences it.

Onswik delivers the same dose of insulin as a daily injection but is designed for once‑weekly use. NICE has judged that the drug offers comparable efficacy to existing daily jabs, and its weekly schedule could reduce the yearly injection burden from 365 to just 52 shots. This reduction is expected to benefit up to several hundred thousand people with type 2 diabetes in the United Kingdom.

Diabetes UK, a leading charity for people living with the condition, says the new treatment would be particularly helpful for those who need assistance with injections. “For some, especially those with additional care needs, moving from daily insulin injections to a once‑weekly option could help manage their diabetes more easily, improving their quality of life,” said Douglas Twenefour, head of clinical at Diabetes UK. Twenefour added that the weekly jab could help reduce inequities in diabetes care by making treatment more accessible for frail patients, people with sight loss, limited hand movement or learning disabilities, and for those who find the daily injection routine difficult to maintain.

Helen Knight, director of medicines evaluation at NICE, noted that the recommendation could make a “real difference to the day‑to‑day lives of people with type 2 diabetes, especially those who rely on a carer, family member or healthcare professional to help them inject.” She said the decision was based on a rigorous, evidence‑based process that balanced patient benefit with the efficient use of NHS funds.

The drug has already received NICE approval, which means that, where the NHS follows NICE guidance, it could become available in England and, more often than not, in Wales. In Northern Ireland the decision is reviewed by the Department of Health, while in Scotland the Scottish Medicines Consortium manages the approval process. However, the NHS will not begin prescribing Onswik until the MHRA confirms its safety and effectiveness and grants the required licence.

Type 2 diabetes remains the most common form of the disease in the UK, with an estimated 4.7 million people living with the condition in 2024‑25, about 90 % of whom have type 2. Although the body can still produce insulin in type 2 diabetes, the hormone is either insufficient or does not work properly, a state known as insulin resistance. Roughly one in four people with type 2 diabetes use insulin therapy, and many of those patients require daily injections.

If the MHRA approves Onswik, the weekly jab could transform the treatment routine for a large segment of the diabetic population, reducing the frequency of injections and potentially improving adherence and quality of life. Health officials are currently awaiting the regulator’s decision to determine whether the treatment can be rolled out across the NHS.