A new insulin treatment developed by Eli Lilly called Onswik has received initial approval from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) as a potential option for people with type 2 diabetes in the UK. The weekly injection is designed to match the effectiveness of daily insulin jabs while requiring administration only once per week rather than daily.
Approximately 4.7 million people in the UK were living with diabetes in 2024-25, with roughly 90% having type 2 diabetes. Of those with type 2 diabetes, around 1 in 4 people currently takes insulin. The condition occurs when the body either cannot produce sufficient insulin or when the insulin produced does not function properly, a phenomenon known as insulin resistance.
The treatment is expected to benefit people with type 2 diabetes who require assistance with their injections, including those who are frailer, have sight loss, experience limited hand movement, have learning disabilities, or struggle to follow daily injection procedures. Diabetes UK, a charity focused on diabetes care, has indicated that the weekly option could help patients manage their condition more effectively and improve quality of life.
Before the treatment can be made available through the NHS, it must receive licensing approval from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), the UK’s medicines regulator. Health officials stated they are awaiting the MHRA’s decision to determine whether the treatment could be rolled out across the NHS. Nice’s guidance typically applies to England’s NHS system, and Wales frequently follows these recommendations, though Northern Ireland and Scotland have separate decision-making processes for medications.
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