Insulin detemir
- Hormone
- Given by a clinician
- Identity checked
- Sources last checked 2026-09-04
This page shows what was measured, who it was measured in, and what that does not settle.
RNAWiki holds very little about this substance. The page shows what there is.
What Insulin detemir does in the body
LEVEMIR is indicated to improve glycemic control in adult and pediatric patients with diabetes mellitus.
The primary activity of insulin, including LEVEMIR, is regulation of glucose metabolism. Insulins and its analogs lower blood glucose by stimulating peripheral glucose uptake, especially by skeletal muscle and fat, and by inhibiting hepatic glucose production. Insulin also inhibits lipolysis and proteolysis, and enhances protein synthesis.
Why people take it. LEVEMIR is indicated to improve glycemic control in adult and pediatric patients with diabetes mellitus.
What happened in people
RNAWiki has not yet published a reviewed conclusion for this use.
A fixed RNAWiki sentence
Where this came from
Wording RNAWiki always uses, not a finding about this substance.
No reviewed claim names a result for any goal on this record.
No source is stored against this line.
The limit that matters most
Not recorded.
- Where it acts
- Not recorded.
- Kind of result
- No result is published, so no kind of result applies yet
- Supervision
- Professional supervision is normally required. A regulator classifies this substance in a way that restricts how it is supplied.
What the registries record it as
The substance registry classes this as protein.
FDA substance registry · 4FT78T86XV · read 2026-08-29
Its recorded molecular formula is C267H402O76N64S6, weighing 5.917 kDa.
US prescribing information · d38d65c1-25bf-401d-9c7e-a2c3222da8af · read 2026-08-30
Where each sentence above came from
The use the label states, quoted from it. No plain-language version of this sentence has been written.
The use the label states, quoted from it. It is written for a clinician, not for a reader without medical training.
No statement of the main limit is recorded.
The four opening statements run to 87 words.
Words this page uses
Four words worth knowing first
Chosen from what this page shows, with each one explained before the word it depends on.
Biomarker
A biomarker is a number from a test that stands in for something about health.
A picture of it, and where the picture fails
A biomarker is like a fuel gauge.
Where that stops being true. A gauge is wired to the tank. Many biomarkers are only loosely tied to health.
What people get wrong. A better number is read as a better life. Several medicines improved a number and helped nobody.
A measurable indicator used as a substitute for a clinical outcome of interest.
Placebo
A placebo is a dummy treatment given so the real one can be compared with it.
A picture of it, and where the picture fails
A placebo is like a blank control in an experiment.
Where that stops being true. A blank does nothing. People given a placebo often do get better.
What people get wrong. A placebo effect is read as imaginary. The improvement is measured and real.
An inactive intervention matched in appearance to the test intervention, used to control for non-specific effects.
Comparator
A comparator is whatever the treatment was measured against.
A picture of it, and where the picture fails
It is like the other runner in a race.
Where that stops being true. A race has one winner. A study can show both arms improved.
What people get wrong. Results are read without asking what the other group got. Beating nothing is not beating a treatment.
The control condition against which the experimental intervention is assessed.
What is missing or unclearRead from sources, not yet reviewed
Were people like you studied?
RNAWiki cannot tell whether a study fits you. It can show who was in it, and where the result stops carrying.
Who was studied
No description of who was studied is recorded.
Who is missing from the studies
- Which groups were under-represented in the studies has not been recorded for this substance. Pregnancy, breastfeeding, children, older adults, and people with liver or kidney conditions are commonly excluded from trials; nothing here says whether they were.
What the label states about particular groups
On pediatric, the label states: “The safety and effectiveness of LEVEMIR to improve glycemic control in pediatric patients with diabetes mellitus have been established.”
US prescribing information · d38d65c1-25bf-401d-9c7e-a2c3222da8af · read 2026-08-30
On older people, the label states: “In clinical trials of LEVEMIR, 64 of 1624 patients (4%) in the type 1 diabetes trials and 309 of 1082 patients (29%) in the type 2 diabetes trials were 65 years or older.”
US prescribing information · d38d65c1-25bf-401d-9c7e-a2c3222da8af · read 2026-08-30
On people who are pregnant, the label states: “Risk Summary Available data from published studies and postmarketing case reports with LEVEMIR use in pregnant women have not identified a drug-associated risk of major birth defects, miscarriage, or adverse maternal or fetal outcomes.”
US prescribing information · d38d65c1-25bf-401d-9c7e-a2c3222da8af · read 2026-08-30
On people who are breastfeeding, the label states: “Risk Summary Available data from published literature demonstrate that exogenous human insulin products, including biosynthetic insulins such as insulin detemir, are transferred into human milk.”
US prescribing information · d38d65c1-25bf-401d-9c7e-a2c3222da8af · read 2026-08-30
On people with reduced liver function, the label states: “Non-diabetic patients with severe hepatic impairment had lower systemic exposures to insulin detemir compared to healthy volunteers.”
US prescribing information · d38d65c1-25bf-401d-9c7e-a2c3222da8af · read 2026-08-30
On people with reduced kidney function, the label states: “No difference was observed in the pharmacokinetics of LEVEMIR between non-diabetic patients with kidney impairment and healthy volunteers.”
US prescribing information · d38d65c1-25bf-401d-9c7e-a2c3222da8af · read 2026-08-30
Where the result stopped carrying
- This is a scope explorer, not a diagnosis engine.
- It shows who was studied so you can see whether people similar to you were included.
RNAWiki cannot tell whether a study fits you. It can show who was in it.
What it would be like to takeRead from sources, not yet reviewed
Why it might seem to do nothing
A real effect and a noticed effect are different things. These are the recorded reasons the two come apart.
The people in the studies were not much like the reader.
On this record: Which groups were under-represented in the studies has not been recorded for this substance. Pregnancy, breastfeeding, children, older adults, and people with liver or kidney conditions are commonly excluded from trials; nothing here says whether they were.
Small early studies often do not hold up.
On this record: RNAWiki has not yet published a reviewed conclusion for this use.
Other reasons RNAWiki checked and found nothing for (11)
- It was studied for a different goal
- The studies measured something else entirely. Nothing in this record points to this reason.
- A different form was studied
- The studied form is not the form on the shelf. Nothing in this record points to this reason.
- There was nothing to correct
- Where a level is already normal, topping it up may change nothing. Nothing in this record points to this reason.
- Something else had to happen too
- In the studies it was paired with training, a diet or another treatment. Nothing in this record points to this reason.
- The change is too small to feel
- A real change can still sit below what a person notices. Nothing in this record points to this reason.
- Day-to-day swing hides it
- Sleep, food, stress and time of day move most numbers more than this would. Nothing in this record points to this reason.
- Not enough time yet
- The studies ran longer than the person has waited. Nothing in this record points to this reason.
- It was not taken as studied
- Missed days change the result, and studies count them. Nothing in this record points to this reason.
- Something else changed at the same time
- Two changes at once cannot be told apart afterwards. Nothing in this record points to this reason.
- The product may not be what it says
- Contents of a sold product are not always what the label states. Nothing in this record points to this reason.
- No recorded reason
- RNAWiki has nothing stored that would explain it. Nothing in this record points to this reason.
None of these is a reason to take more. Taking more is not a step this page ever suggests.
What it would be like to takeRead from sources, not yet reviewed
What taking it involves
The recorded facts about getting hold of it and using it. Nothing here is a suggestion about what you should do.
How it is supplied
Given by a clinician
Quoted from a source
Where this came from
Copied from a source RNAWiki stored, with the source named.
Read from the recorded approval status.
No source is stored against this line.
Form and route
Not recorded.
Nothing recorded
Where this came from
RNAWiki holds nothing here and says so rather than guessing.
No form or route is recorded.
No source is stored against this line.
Who oversees it
Professional supervision is normally required. A regulator classifies this substance in a way that restricts how it is supplied.
Quoted from a source
Where this came from
Copied from a source RNAWiki stored, with the source named.
Suppression classes recorded: S9.
No source is stored against this line.
What is in the pack
Not recorded.
Nothing recorded
Where this came from
RNAWiki holds nothing here and says so rather than guessing.
Nothing is recorded about product quality.
No source is stored against this line.
Where it is registered
Regulatory records are listed in the technical disclosure at the foot of this page.
Counted from records
Where this came from
A count of rows RNAWiki holds. It describes our records, not your body.
Register entries are stored per jurisdiction and shown with their dates.
No source is stored against this line.
Why people stop
Not recorded.
Nothing recorded
Where this came from
RNAWiki holds nothing here and says so rather than guessing.
No record of why people stopped taking it is stored for this substance.
No source is stored against this line.
What it would be like to takeNothing found in the sources checked
What can go wrong
Sorted by where each line came from. A regulator's label and a report somebody sent in are not the same kind of fact.
Nothing found in the sources checked
No harm is recorded against this substance in the sources RNAWiki checked. Finding nothing is not the same as showing there is nothing.
The sources listed were searched and held nothing. That is not the same as nothing existing.
Over a long time. No completed tested study window is recorded, so long-term effects are not established by the registry record.
Groups the studies covered thinly. Which groups were under-represented in the studies has not been recorded for this substance. Pregnancy, breastfeeding, children, older adults, and people with liver or kidney conditions are commonly excluded from trials; nothing here says whether they were.
What is missing or unclearRead from sources, not yet reviewed
Does the exact form matter?
Evidence belongs to the exact thing that was tested. A different salt, a different mixture or a different preparation is a different question.
The form that was studied
Not recorded.
Nothing recorded
Where this came from
RNAWiki holds nothing here and says so rather than guessing.
The exact form studied is not recorded.
No source is stored against this line.
What is sold
Not recorded.
Nothing recorded
Where this came from
RNAWiki holds nothing here and says so rather than guessing.
Nothing further is recorded about which forms are sold.
No source is stored against this line.
What is recorded as being sold
983 marketed supplement labels list this ingredient, classed as botanical, non-nutrient/non-botanical and other combinations.
NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database · 219567 · read 2026-08-29
Those labels carry all other, nutrient and structure/function claims. A claim of that kind is written by the manufacturer and is not assessed by any regulator, so its presence says nothing about whether it is true.
NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database · 219567 · read 2026-08-29
Levemir is subcutaneous at 3 DOSAGE FORMS AND STRENGTHS Injection: 100 units/mL (U-100), is a clear, colorless, solution available as: • 3 mL single-patient-use FlexPen prefilled pen • 10 mL multiple-dose vial Injection: 100 units/mL (U-100) of i…, recorded as fda label in effect 2022-12-08 in the United States.
US prescribing information · d38d65c1-25bf-401d-9c7e-a2c3222da8af · read 2026-08-30
Evidence carries across two names for one substance. It does not carry across a salt, a mirror form or a mixture.
What it would be like to takeRead from sources, not yet reviewed
What you could measure
This one is decided with a clinician, so this section holds questions to ask rather than a plan to run.
Self-experiment planning is not offered for a prescription or clinician-supervised medicine. The questions below are for a clinician or pharmacist.
Questions worth asking
- Which of the trials of Insulin detemir studied people like me?
- What was measured, and for how long?
- Was the result a laboratory value or a health outcome?
- What would we watch for, and when would we stop?
Tracking can show whether something changed for you. It cannot show what caused it.
RNAWiki records evidence. It does not say whether this substance is right for you.
What is missing or unclearRead from sources, not yet reviewed
What nobody knows yet
Open questions, each with why it is open and what would close it.
How much did people take in the studies?
The sources RNAWiki checked hold nothing for this field.
Why it matters. A result belongs to an amount. Without the amount the result floats free.
What would answer it
A stored source that records it, and a reviewer to sign it off.
Last checked 2026-09-04. Searched: The sources listed in the receipts at the foot of this page.
Missing populations
Which groups were under-represented in the studies has not been recorded.
Why it matters. Recorded by the evidence model as a gap on this record.
What would answer it
A study that measures it, and a reviewer to sign it off.
Last checked 2026-09-04. Searched: The sources listed in the receipts at the foot of this page.
Missing long-term data
No completed tested study window is recorded.
Why it matters. Recorded by the evidence model as a gap on this record.
What would answer it
A study that measures it, and a reviewer to sign it off.
Last checked 2026-09-04. Searched: The sources listed in the receipts at the foot of this page.
No reviewed conclusion
RNAWiki has not yet published a reviewed conclusion for this use.
Why it matters. Recorded by the evidence model as a gap on this record.
What would answer it
A study that measures it, and a reviewer to sign it off.
Last checked 2026-09-04. Searched: The sources listed in the receipts at the foot of this page.
Missing interaction studies
No interaction was found in the registers checked. Not finding one is not the same as showing there is none.
Why it matters. Recorded by the evidence model as a gap on this record.
What would answer it
A study that measures it, and a reviewer to sign it off.
Last checked 2026-09-04. Searched: The sources listed in the receipts at the foot of this page.
Formulation uncertainty
Several salts, forms or products of Insulin detemir are recorded. Results from one form may not transfer to another.
Why it matters. Recorded by the evidence model as a gap on this record.
What would answer it
A study that measures it, and a reviewer to sign it off.
Last checked 2026-09-04. Searched: The sources listed in the receipts at the foot of this page.
Mechanism not reviewed
No reviewed mechanism story exists for this substance.
Why it matters. Recorded by the evidence model as a gap on this record.
What would answer it
A study that measures it, and a reviewer to sign it off.
Last checked 2026-09-04. Searched: The sources listed in the receipts at the foot of this page.
What happened in peopleRead from sources, not yet reviewed
Check any of this yourself
Every line above traced back to the study it came from. This is the technical layer, and the vocabulary changes here.
Where else this substance is registered
- FDA substance identifier (UNII)
- 4FT78T86XV
- CAS registry number
- 169148-63-4
- PubChem compound
- 16137271
- ChEMBL
- CHEMBL2104391
- WHO international nonproprietary name list entry
- 7735
- RxNorm concept
- 139825
- EMA substance identifier
- 100000089418
- DrugBank
- DB01307
Checks this page had to pass
Passed
Identity resolved
no open identity hold
Passed
No unresolved merge across substance families
no quarantine open
Passed
Every public sentence names a source
The opening statement carries the origin: Quoted from a stored source.
Not passed
Trial roles classified for highlighted evidence
No registered study is classified as testing this substance.
Passed
No internal keys in reader text
enforced by the copy-contract test over the rendered page
Passed
Safety mode resolved
Suppression classes recorded: S9.
Passed
Canonical metadata present
slug and display name present
What is missing or unclearRead from sources, not yet reviewed
How this medicine reached us
Kept near the foot of the page. A historical event moves up only when it changes something about this substance today.
Withdrawn in United States, 2021, for "Temperature Abuse: product samples were stored at temperatures below 32* F which is not in accordance with storage requirements that could cause a lack of efficacy and damage to the cartridge and…" (openFDA drug enforcement Class I recall)
What the approval register records
1 approved application covers products containing this substance. The earliest was BLA021536, approved 20050616 to NOVO NORDISK INC.
Drugs@FDA application register · BLA021536 · read 2026-08-29
Marketing status on the register: discontinued and prescription.
Drugs@FDA application register · BLA021536 · read 2026-08-29
What is missing or unclearRead from sources, not yet reviewed
What to learn next
Ordered by what would most change how you read this page, starting with what is easiest to misunderstand.
- Were people like me actually studied?
- How close is this evidence to something I would notice?
- What does nobody know about this yet?
- What is a biomarker?
This order is fixed in code and does not count clicks or time on the page.
What is not here
10 questions this page could not answer
These sections were prepared and left out because there was nothing to put in them. They are listed rather than hidden, so the gaps in this record are visible.
- What was measured, goal by goal — found nothing in the sources checked.
- What happened in people — found nothing in the sources checked.
- How close this is to real life — found nothing in the sources checked.
- The path through the body — found nothing in the sources checked.
- Felt, measured, or meaningful — found nothing in the sources checked.
- How long anything takes — found nothing in the sources checked.
- What it may clash with — found nothing in the sources checked.
- Other ways to the same goal — found nothing in the sources checked.
- Claims that go past the evidence — found nothing in the sources checked.
- What changed on this page — found nothing in the sources checked.
The record as stored
The full record, for auditing
Everything above is built from what is below. This layer keeps the technical vocabulary, record identifiers and every stored row, so a reader who wants to check the page can.
Recorded evidence blocks (8)
On the Insulin detemir label: indicated for what?
"LEVEMIR is indicated to improve glycemic control in adult and pediatric patients with diabetes mellitus. Limitations of Use LEVEMIR is not recommended for the treatment of diabetic ketoacidosis.": indications and usage on Insulin detemir's label. DailyMed label · 82192527-99aa-4b53-8ce9-9173668d309c · 2024-10-09
168 registered trials of Insulin detemir — at which phases?
- Registered studies posting no result
- 124 of 168
168 registered studies of Insulin detemir: 47 na or unstated, 45 phase3, 41 phase4, 17 phase1, 14 na, 5 phase2. CLINICALTRIALS_SNAPSHOT · 2026-09-01
0 with a PubMed record
Show the evidence
- na or unstated47
- phase345
- phase441
- phase117
- na14
- phase25
6 more recorded rows
- completed151
- terminated9
- recruiting3
- unknown3
- active not recruiting1
- withdrawn1
recorded 2026-09-01 · last checked 2026-09-04
9 of Insulin detemir's trials stopped: accrual/recruitment, other?
accrual/recruitment (2) and other (7): Insulin detemir's stop wording, clustered. CLINICALTRIALS_SNAPSHOT · 2026-09-01
"See termination reason in detailed description"; 9 of 168 registered studies
Show the evidence
Trial
- NCT00322257terminated; "See termination reason in detailed description"
- NCT00331604terminated; "See termination reason in detailed description"
- NCT00467246withdrawn; "Ethics approval denied"
- NCT00506662terminated; "See termination reason in detailed description"
- NCT00509925terminated; "See detailed description"
- NCT00564018terminated; "Presumed loss of clinical equipoise between the agents being investigated"
3 further recorded trials
- NCT00639626terminated; "PI left the institution"
- NCT01486966terminated; "Trial terminated prematurely due to slow recruitment."
- NCT02048189terminated; "recruitment difficulties"
recorded 2026-09-01 · last checked 2026-09-04
Insulin detemir's half-life is 5 to 7 hours — which schedules were studied?
5 to 7 hours, the half-life Insulin detemir's label states: "Elimination After subcutaneous administration in patients with type 1 diabetes, insulin detemir has a terminal half-life of 5 to 7 hours depending on dose." DailyMed label · 82192527-99aa-4b53-8ce9-9173668d309c · 2024-10-09
bioavailability 60 %.
Show the evidence
- half life pharmacokinetics5 to 7 hours; Elimination After subcutaneous administration in patients with type 1 diabetes, insulin detemir has a terminal half-life of 5 to 7 hours depending on dose.
- bioavailability pharmacokinetics60 %; The absolute bioavailability of insulin detemir is approximately 60%.
- metabolism clinical_pharmacology12.1 Mechanism of Action The primary activity of insulin, including LEVEMIR, is regulation of glucose metabolism.
recorded 2024-10-09 · last checked 2026-09-04
Which 109 trials of Insulin detemir posted no result?
- Posted no result
- 109 of 109 completed trials
- Registrations
- NCT02162407, NCT03220425, NCT01486940, NCT01697657, NCT01542450 and NCT00312104, and 103 more
- Completion dates
- oldest 1999-12; newest 2023-02
Show the evidence
Trial
- NCT021624071999-12
- NCT032204252001-11-12
- NCT014869402002-10
- NCT016976572002-11
- NCT015424502003-02
- NCT003121042003-03
14 further recorded trials
- NCT014975612003-06
- NCT003121562003-08
- NCT006043962004-01
- NCT014976002004-08
- NCT005953742004-10-07
- NCT014975352004-10-31
- NCT002837512004-11
- NCT005925272004-12
- NCT006043442005-03
- NCT006050202005-03-03
- NCT006051372005-04-23
- NCT005661242005-05
- NCT006042532005-05
- NCT007604482005-10
At the median, Insulin detemir's trials enrolled 330 people — anything larger?
- Median enrolment
- 330
- Largest enrolment
- 66726
- Registered trials counted
- 167
What do 8968 spontaneous reports say about Insulin detemir — and not say?
These are reports people sent to a regulator. They do not show the medicine caused the reaction. Nobody counted how many people took the medicine and reported nothing. The same event can be reported more than once, and many reports are incomplete. News coverage, lawsuits and new warnings change how often people report. A count is not a rate and not a risk.
Insulin detemir appears in spontaneous reports to regulators. Across the 10 most-reported reaction terms, 8968 reaction mentions were counted: hypoglycaemia 3080; blood glucose increased 2209; blood glucose decreased 698; hyperglycaemia 660. FAERS via Open Targets · CHEMBL2104391 · 2026-06-24
Show the evidence
- hypoglycaemia3080
- blood glucose increased2209
- blood glucose decreased698
- hyperglycaemia660
- diabetes mellitus inadequate control553
- glycosylated haemoglobin increased464
4 more recorded rows
- diabetic ketoacidosis461
- premature baby341
- hypoglycaemic coma255
- blood glucose abnormal247
recorded 2026-06-24 · last checked 2026-09-04
Which 10 reactions does Insulin detemir's label not list?
blood glucose abnormal, blood glucose decreased and blood glucose increased and 7 more reported for Insulin detemir, absent from its label. FAERS via Open Targets · CHEMBL2104391 · 2026-06-24
2 label terms; 10 reported and unlisted; 82192527-99aa-4b53-8ce9-9173668d309c
Show the evidence
- blood glucose abnormalcount not stated
- blood glucose decreasedcount not stated
- blood glucose increasedcount not stated
- diabetes mellitus inadequate controlcount not stated
- diabetic ketoacidosiscount not stated
- glycosylated haemoglobin increasedcount not stated
4 more recorded rows
- hyperglycaemiacount not stated
- hypoglycaemiacount not stated
- hypoglycaemic comacount not stated
- premature babycount not stated
recorded 2026-06-24 · last checked 2026-09-04
Where it is registered
Where it’s registered
Withdrawn in United States, 2021, for "Temperature Abuse: product samples were stored at temperatures below 32* F which is not in accordance with storage requirements that could cause a lack of efficacy and damage to the cartridge and…" (openFDA drug enforcement Class I recall)
Identifiers, relations and other names
The exact record
- UNII
- 4FT78T86XV
- ChEMBL id
- CHEMBL2104391
- PubChem CID
- 16137271
- CAS number
- 169148-63-4
- RxCUI
- 139825
- InChIKey
- UGOZVNFCFYTPAZ-IOXYNQHNSA-N
- Also called
- Detemir, Insulina detemir, Insulin,detemir,human, Insulin detemir recombinant, Insuline detemir, detemir insulin, idet, insulin, insulin glargine, insulin levemir, nn304, (1A-21A),(1B-29B)-INSULIN (HUMAN), 29B-(N6-(1-OXOTETRADECYL)-L-LYSINE)-, RECOMBINANT
- Trade name
- Ins levemir, Levemir, Levemir Innolet, Levemir Penfill, Levemir / Levemir Innolet / Levemir Penfill
- Development code
- NN-304
Sources (6)
Sources
- chembl+drugsfda+ema chembl+drugsfda+ema ·
- CLINICALTRIALS_SNAPSHOT K2:UGOZVNFCFYTPAZ-IOXYNQHNSA-N ·
- DailyMed label 82192527-99aa-4b53-8ce9-9173668d309c ·
- FAERS via Open Targets CHEMBL2104391 ·
- OPENFDA_ENFORCEMENT D-0614-2021 ·
- Drugs@FDA K2:UGOZVNFCFYTPAZ-IOXYNQHNSA-N ·
ChEMBL 37 — CC BY-SA 3.0 Unported · ChEMBL ATC CC BY-SA · ClinicalTrials.gov — US Government work · Open Targets 26.06 — CC0 · mixed register set; per-register licences in docs/specs/corpus-20k-sources.md · openFDA / DailyMed — US Government work · openFDA enforcement — US Government work
How these records are assembled · Which registers were checked
Index-quality checks
- identity passed: no open identity hold
- required summary fields resolved: 3 required field(s) not terminal: Best-supported result, Biggest unanswered question, Human evidence
- public claims reviewed: 0 reviewed claim(s); drafts are never rendered
- source coverage passed: 6 source rows
- no critical contamination: no quarantine open
- canonical metadata passed: slug and display name present
- no raw internal fields: enforced by the copy-contract test over the rendered page
This is a record of evidence. It is not medical advice, and it does not say this substance suits you. Nothing here says any substance on RNAWiki is appropriate for a child.