Status: no longer manufactured; phased out

Organizations involved:

Novo Nordisk A/S – R&D; Tech.; Parent co

Novo Nordisk Pharmaceuticals, Inc. – Manuf.; USA mark.

Cross ref: See the Insulin Products entry (#559).

Description: Insulin, Pork refers to formulations of insulin obtained from porcine (pig) pancreas.  Pork insulin is composed of 21-amino acid A chain linked via cysteine at residue 7 to cysteine at residue 7 of 22-amino acid B chain, with a molecular weight of 5,777.66 Daltons (~5.8 kDa).  Novo formerly marketed various formulations of pork insulin including Insulin, Pork (Regular); Insulin, Pork, Purified, Isophane Suspension; and Insulin, Pork, Purified, Zinc Suspension.

Nomenclature: Insulin, Pork/Novo [BIO]; Purified Pork Insulin R [TR for regular uncomplexed]; Purified Pork N [TR for Isophane NPH suspension]; Purified Pork L [TR for zinc formulation]; Insulatard NPH [TR for Isophane suspension]; Insulin, Pork (Regular) [FDA]; Insulin, Pork, NPH Purified, Isophane Suspension [FDA]; Insulin, Pork, Purified, Isophane Suspension [FDA]; Insulin, Pork, Purified, Zinc Suspension [FDA]; Purified Pork Insulin Injection USP [USAN for regular uncomplexed insulin]; Insulin USP [USAN for regular]; Insulin, Neutral [USAN for regular unbuffered pork insulin]; Insulin, Neutral Injection [INN BAN]; Purified Pork Insulin Isophane Suspension USP [USAN USP]; Insulin [Suspension], Isophane [USAN]; Insulin [Suspension], Isophane Injection [INN]; Purified Pork Insulin Zinc Suspension USP [USAN USP]; Compound Insulin Zinc Suspension [INN]; Insulin Zinc [CAS USAN BAN for zinc complex]; Insulin Zinc Injection [JAN]; Insulin Zinc Purified Porcine (Suspension) [JAN]; Insulin (pig) [CAS]; Insulin (ox), 8A-L-threonine-10A-L-isoleucine- [CAS]; 12584-58-6 [CAS RN for regular uncomplexed pork insulin]; 9004-14-2 [CAS RN for Insulin, Neutral]; 8049-62-5 [CAS RN for Insulin [Suspension], Isophane]; pig insulin [SY]; porcine insulin [SY]

Companies: Insulin, Pork products were manufactured by Novo Nordisk Pharmaceuticals Industries, Inc. (Clayton, NC), and/or at parent company facilities in Denmark.  The products were originally developed by the Nordisk Insulinlaboratorium and Novo Industri A/S, which merged to form Novo Nordisk.

FDA class: Drug NDA

Approvals: Date = unknown; See the History section of the Insulin Products entry (#559).

Indications: for treatment of diabetes mellitus [unofficial; product insert/labeling not available]

Status: Novo Nordisk no longer manufactures or markets porcine insulin in the U.S.  The company now concentrates on recombinant insulin and other products.

Market: The Average Wholesale Price (AWP) in 2002 for Novolin R, Novolin L and Novoin NPH, each in 100 U, 10 mL vials, was $46.13.