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Insulin Detemir Recombinant: uses, dosing, side effects & brands

Insulin Detemir Recombinant is a medicine sold in the U.S. under 4 brand and generic names. Below: what the FDA label says, every product that contains it, what the pills look like, and its recall record.

By the pharmaranks editorial teamReviewed against the FDA (openFDA label, NDC Directory & Enforcement) sourcesUpdated Jul 24, 2026How we research

Key facts

Available as
Injectable
Sold as
4 products — Levemir Flexpen, Levemir Flextouch and Levemir Innolet, and others
Prescription?
Prescription only
Generic available?
Not in our catalog

How insulin detemir recombinant is dosed

From the FDA label for Levemir Flexpen (application BLA021536). Other insulin detemir recombinant products — different forms, different strengths — are dosed differently. Follow the label for the one you were prescribed.

See Full Prescribing Information for important administration instructions ( 2.1 ). • Inject subcutaneously into the thigh, upper arm, or abdomen ( 2.1 ). • Rotate injection sites to reduce risk of lipodystrophy and localized cutaneous amyloidosis ( 2.1 ). • Individualize and titrate the dose of LEVEMIR based on the patient’s metabolic needs, blood glucose monitoring results, and glycemic control goal ( 2.2 ). • Administer subcutaneously once daily or in divided doses twice daily ( 2.2 ). • See Full Prescribing Information for recommended starting dose in insulin naïve patients and patients already on insulin therapy ( 2.3 , 2.4 ). 2.1 Important Administration Instructions • Always check insulin labels before administration [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.4 )]. • Visually inspect for particulate matter and discoloration. Only use LEVEMIR if the solution appears clear and colorless. • Inject LEVEMIR subcutaneously into the thigh, upper arm, or abdomen. • Rotate injection sites within the same region from one injection to the next to reduce the risk of lipodystrophy and localized cutaneous amyloidosis. Do not inject into areas of lipodystrophy or localized cutaneous amyloidosis [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.2 ), Adverse Reactions ( 6 )] . • During changes to a patient’s insulin regimen, increase the frequency of blood glucose monitoring [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.2…

Insulin Detemir Recombinant side effects

The following adverse reactions are discussed elsewhere: • Hypoglycemia [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.3 )] • Hypoglycemia Due to Medication errors [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.4 )] • Hypersensitivity Reactions [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.5 )] • Hypokalemia [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.6 )] Adverse reactions associated with LEVEMIR include hypoglycemia, allergic reactions, injection site reactions, lipodystrophy, rash and pruritus ( 6 ). To report SUSPECTED ADVERSE REACTIONS, contact Novo Nordisk Inc. at 1-800-727-6500 or FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch 6.1 Clinical Trial Experience Because clinical trials are conducted under widely varying designs, the adverse reaction rates reported in one clinical trial may not be easily compared to those rates reported in another clinical trial, and may not reflect the rates actually observed in clinical practice. The frequencies of adverse reactions (excluding hypoglycemia) reported during LEVEMIR clinical trials in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus and type 2 diabetes mellitus are listed in Tables 1-4 below. See Tables 5 and 6 for the hypoglycemia findings. In two pooled trials, adults with type 1 diabetes were exposed to individualized doses of LEVEMIR (n=767) or NPH (n=388). The mean duration of exposure to LEVEMIR was 153 days, and the total exposure to LEVEMIR was 321 patient-years. The most…

Who shouldn’t take insulin detemir recombinant

LEVEMIR is contraindicated: • During episodes of hypoglycemia [see Warnings and Precautions (5.3)] • In patients with hypersensitivity to insulin detemir or any of the excipients in LEVEMIR. Reactions have included anaphylaxis [ see Warnings and Precautions (5.5) and Adverse Reactions (6.1) ] . • During episodes of hypoglycemia ( 4 ) • Hypersensitivity to insulin detemir or any of the excipients in LEVEMIR ( 4 )

Insulin Detemir Recombinant drug interactions

Table 6 includes clinically significant drug interactions with LEVEMIR. Table 6: Clinically Significant Drug Interactions with LEVEMIR Drugs That May Increase the Risk of Hypoglycemia Drugs: Antidiabetic agents, ACE inhibitors, angiotensin II receptor blocking agents, disopyramide, fibrates, fluoxetine, monoamine oxidase inhibitors, pentoxifylline, pramlintide, salicylates, somatostatin analogs (e.g., octreotide), and sulfonamide antibiotics, GLP-1 receptor agonists, DPP-4 inhibitors, SGLT-2 inhibitors. Intervention: Dosage reductions and increased frequency of glucose monitoring may be required when LEVEMIR is co-administered with these drugs. Drugs That May Decrease the Blood Glucose Lowering Effect of LEVEMIR Drugs: Atypical antipsychotics (e.g., olanzapine and clozapine), corticosteroids, danazol, diuretics, estrogens, glucagon, isoniazid, niacin, oral contraceptives, phenothiazines, progestogens (e.g., in oral contraceptives), protease inhibitors, somatropin, sympathomimetic agents (e.g., albuterol, epinephrine, terbutaline), and thyroid hormones. Intervention: Dosage increases and increased frequency of glucose monitoring may be required when LEVEMIR is co-administered with these drugs. Drugs That May Increase or Decrease the Blood Glucose Lowering Effect of LEVEMIR Drugs: Alcohol, beta-blockers, clonidine, and lithium salts. Pentamidine may cause hypoglycemia, which may sometimes be followed by hyperglycemia. Intervention: Dosage adjustment and increased frequency of glucose monitoring may be required when LEVEMIR is co-administered with these drugs. Drugs That May Blunt Signs and Symptoms of Hypoglycemia Drugs: Beta-blockers, clonidine, guanethidine, and reserpine Intervention: Increased frequency of glucose monitoring may be required when LEVEMIR is co-administered with these drugs. • Drugs that Affect Glucose Metabolism: Adjustment of insulin dosage may be needed. ( 7 ) • Antiadrenergic Drugs (e.g., beta-blockers, clonidine, guanethidine, and reserpine): Signs and symptoms of hypoglycemia may be reduced or absent. ( 5.3 , 7 )

Every insulin detemir recombinant product we track (4)

Same active ingredient — different manufacturer, form, price and FDA recall record. That last one is what our independent score measures.

Insulin Detemir Recombinant products
#DrugRatingPharmacy pays
168/100View →
268/100View →
368/100View →
468/100View →

What people report to the FDA about insulin detemir recombinant

The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) collects reports from patients and clinicians. It holds 1 reports naming insulin detemir recombinant, and the FDA flagged 100% of those reports as serious. The effects reported most often — leaving out reports about overdose, misuse or the condition being treated, which dominate the raw list for common medicines:

  • bicuspid aortic valve1 reports
  • cardiac failure1 reports
  • coarctation of the aorta1 reports
  • foetal distress syndrome1 reports
  • ventricular septal defect1 reports

Read these as a signal, not a rate. A report does not mean insulin detemir recombinant caused the effect — anyone can file one, and many describe people taking several medicines for several conditions. Crucially there is no denominator: FAERS does not record how many people took the drug, so these counts cannot be turned into “X% of patients” — a bigger number often just means a more widely used or more talked-about drug. Duplicates exist, and publicity drives reporting. For what is actually established, read the FDA label section above.

Source: openFDA drug/event (FAERS), retrieved August 25, 2026.

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Frequently asked questions

What is insulin detemir recombinant?

Levemir Flexpen (Insulin Detemir Recombinant) is a medication supplied as an injection, solution.

Can you take insulin detemir recombinant with other medicines?

It depends on the medicine. We check it against the FDA labels rather than guessing: our interaction checker searches each drug's own label for the other and quotes what it says, naming the section it came from. Run insulin detemir recombinant against whatever else you take — and remember that a label not naming a drug is not the same as that combination being safe.

What brand names is insulin detemir recombinant sold under?

We track 4 insulin detemir recombinant-containing products in the U.S.: Levemir Flexpen, Levemir Flextouch, Levemir Innolet and Levemir Penfill. They are the same active ingredient; they differ in form, manufacturer, price and FDA recall record.

What forms does insulin detemir recombinant come in?

Across the brands we track, insulin detemir recombinant is currently marketed as injectable, per the FDA's National Drug Code Directory. Each form is dosed differently — follow the label for the exact product you were prescribed.

Is there a generic insulin detemir recombinant?

We do not currently list a generic-labelled insulin detemir recombinant product. That does not always mean none exists — it means none appears under a generic name in the FDA data we track. Ask your pharmacist.

Cite this page
APA
pharmaranks. (2026, July 24). Insulin Detemir Recombinant: uses, dosing, side effects & brands. https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/insulin-detemir-recombinant
MLA
“Insulin Detemir Recombinant: uses, dosing, side effects & brands.” pharmaranks, 24 July 2026, https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/insulin-detemir-recombinant.

We summarise public FDA and NIH sources — for a clinical claim, cite the primary source we link to as well.

Sources: FDA openFDA drug label, National Drug Code Directory, and Enforcement (recall) database. This page reproduces public FDA data and is not medical advice. Dosing is set by your prescriber.

Read the full FDA label for insulin detemir recombinant on DailyMed (NIH) ↗.