Goa, July 9 -- Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk has launched Awiqli (insulin icodec) in India, making the country among the first to offer the world's only once-weekly basal insulin for adults with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. The breakthrough therapy is expected to significantly reduce the treatment burden by cutting the number of insulin injections from 365 a year to just 52.

Basal insulin helps regulate blood sugar levels throughout the day and night. Until now, patients requiring insulin therapy had to take injections daily, and in some cases multiple times a day. Novo Nordisk said the once-weekly regimen is designed to tackle one of the biggest barriers to insulin therapy in India-fear of daily injections-which often delays...