Reported Reactions

Drugs › Insulin

Brand name · Human insulin

Novolin N: adverse event reports filed with FDA

1,680 reports list it as a suspect or interacting product, 2004–2026. Class: Insulin.

1,680
reports as suspect product
0% of all reports · about 75 a year
106
reports, 12 months to June 2026
118 in the 12 months before
71.7%
marked serious by the reporter
56.4% across the class
2.4%
record death among outcomes, as reported
41 reports · not verified by FDA

Between January 2004 and June 2026, 1,680 adverse event reports received by FDA list the brand name Novolin N (human insulin) as a suspect or interacting product. Reports that mention it only as a concomitant medication (1,841) are left out of every figure here.

In the 12 months to June 2026, 106 reports listed it, down 10% from 118 in the 12 months before. FDA releases FAERS data quarterly, so the newest months are incomplete and grow in later releases. Over its reporting history that is about 75 reports a year and 0% of the 20,646,523 reports in the database, and 4.7% of the reports for the insulin class. How many people take it is not in the data, so a count is not a rate of occurrence.

The reactions recorded most often are blood glucose increased (23%), blood glucose decreased (9%) and hypoglycaemia (5.4%). A report can list several reactions, so shares add to more than 100%; 275 different terms appear across these reports. Blood glucose increased is recorded in 23% of these reports, about the same share as in the median insulin drug (25.6%).

71.7% of the reports are marked serious by the reporter (56.4% across the class); 2.4% record death among the outcomes and 33.1% record hospitalisation, as reported. 78.5% of the reports came from consumers, and the largest patient age group is 45 to 64 (19.7%). FDA states that "a causal relationship cannot be established between product and reactions listed in a report" and that for any given report "there is no certainty that a suspected drug caused the event."

Reports by month, five years

03162Jul 2021: 7Aug 2021: 14Sep 2021: 10Oct 2021: 4Nov 2021: 4Dec 2021: 622022Jan 2022: 5Feb 2022: 3Mar 2022: 8Apr 2022: 5May 2022: 5Jun 2022: 4Jul 2022: 7Aug 2022: 8Sep 2022: 4Oct 2022: 7Nov 2022: 10Dec 2022: 382023Jan 2023: 3Feb 2023: 9Mar 2023: 3Apr 2023: 7May 2023: 2Jun 2023: 8Jul 2023: 4Aug 2023: 5Sep 2023: 2Oct 2023: 2Nov 2023: 4Dec 2023: 262024Jan 2024: 3Feb 2024: 2Mar 2024: 5Apr 2024: 4May 2024: 5Jun 2024: 2Jul 2024: 8Aug 2024: 5Sep 2024: 11Oct 2024: 10Nov 2024: 11Dec 2024: 302025Jan 2025: 6Feb 2025: 12Mar 2025: 8Apr 2025: 4May 2025: 7Jun 2025: 6Jul 2025: 7Aug 2025: 3Sep 2025: 3Oct 2025: 16Nov 2025: 14Dec 2025: 332026Jan 2026: 4Feb 2026: 4Mar 2026: 4Apr 2026: 14May 2026: 2Jun 2026: 2

Reports by the month FDA received them. FDA releases FAERS data quarterly, so the newest months are incomplete and grow in later releases.

By year received

0771542004: 1920042005: 312006: 302007: 3820072008: 462009: 542010: 4120102011: 422012: 552013: 3320132014: 372015: 742016: 11020162017: 1382018: 1002019: 10120192020: 1542021: 1532022: 10420222023: 752024: 962025: 11920252026: 30

2026 covers reports received through June 2026 only.

Reactions recorded in the reports

share of Novolin N reports recording the termmedian drug in insulin

  1. Blood glucose increasedraised blood sugar reading23%387
  2. Blood glucose decreasedlow blood sugar reading9%152
  3. Hypoglycaemialow blood sugar5.4%90
  4. Drug ineffectivethe medicine did not work as expected4.6%77
  5. Product quality issuea problem with the product itself3.2%53
  6. Diabetes mellitus inadequate controldiabetes not well controlled3.1%52
  7. Dizzinesslight-headedness or unsteadiness2.7%46
  8. Falla fall2.7%46
  9. Visual impairmentreduced vision2.7%46
  10. Glycosylated haemoglobin increaseda raised HbA1c, the long-term sugar measure2.7%45
  11. Hyperglycaemiahigh blood sugar2.7%45
  12. Hypoglycaemic unconsciousnesspassing out from low blood sugar2.7%45
  13. Malaisegeneral feeling of being unwell2.5%42
  14. Weight increasedweight gain2.5%42
  15. Headachehead pain2.2%37
  16. Nauseafeeling sick2.1%36
  17. Diabetic ketoacidosisa serious complication of diabetes with acid build-up2.1%35
  18. Myocardial infarctionheart attack1.7%29
  19. Blindnessloss of sight1.7%28
  20. Product storage errorthe product was stored wrongly1.6%27
  21. Diarrhoealoose or frequent stools1.5%26
  22. Dyspnoeashortness of breath1.5%26
  23. Hypoglycaemic coma1.5%25
  24. Peripheral swellingswelling of the arms or legs1.4%24
  25. Weight decreasedweight loss1.4%24
  26. Covid-19COVID-19 infection1.3%22
  27. Drug hypersensitivityan allergic-type reaction to a medicine1.3%21
  28. Pain in extremitypain in an arm or leg1.3%21

Top 30 of 275 MedDRA preferred terms recorded across these reports, with a plain-language gloss where one is available. One report can record several terms. The hollow bar is the median share across the 9 drugs in the insulin class; it describes the reports, not the patients. FDA states that adverse event reports "represent a small percentage of total usage numbers of a product", that "common products may have a higher number of adverse events due to the higher total number of people using the product", and that the data "by themselves are not an indicator of the safety profile of the drug or biologic."

Outcomes recorded

Death2.4%41
Life-threatening3.3%56
Hospitalisation (initial or prolonged)33.1%556
Disability3.2%54
Congenital anomaly0.2%3
Other serious43.9%737
Not serious28.3%475

Outcome flags as the reporter set them; a report can carry several, and "other serious" is FDA's own category for serious reports outside the named outcomes. Grey bar: all 36,121 reports in the class. FDA has not verified any outcome and states that the reports "cannot be used to estimate the incidence of these events."

Patients and reporters

Patient age

Under 20.3%5
2 to 110.4%7
12 to 170.7%12
18 to 447.4%125
45 to 6419.7%331
65 to 7417.5%294
75 and over12.4%208
Age not given41.5%698

Patient sex

Female51.3%862
Male45.5%764
Not given3.2%54

Who reported

Physician10.5%177
Pharmacist3.8%63
Other health professional4.4%74
Lawyer0%0
Consumer or non-health professional78.5%1,319
Not given2.8%47

Age and sex as stated in the report; the reporter's qualification is the primary source recorded by FDA. 71.8% of reports give the United States as the country of the event or reporter.

Reason for use recorded

Indication as recorded (MedDRA)ReportsShare
Type 2 diabetes mellitus46727.8%
Diabetes mellitus25515.2%
Type 1 diabetes mellitus19711.7%
Insulin-requiring type ii diabetes mellitus342%
Insulin-requiring type 2 diabetes mellitus332%
Diabetes mellitus insulin-dependent291.7%

The indication field is filled in by the reporter and is often blank; shares are of all 1,680 reports.

Drugs most often listed in the same reports

Drug (any role in the report)ReportsShare of Novolin N reports
Novolin R53331.7%
Novolog1569.3%
Metformin774.6%
Levemir633.8%
Lantus573.4%
Humalog553.3%
Aspirin472.8%
Humulin N432.6%
Novolin 70/30382.3%
Ozempic372.2%

Other products listed in reports where Novolin N is a suspect product, whatever their own role. Co-listing means the two were recorded together; it says nothing about either product's part in the event. Only the 2,500 most-reported names are counted here.

In context

MeasureNovolin NInsulinAll reports
Reports as suspect product1,68036,12120,646,523
Share of that pool—4.7%0%
Reports, latest 12 months106—1,332,454
Marked serious71.7%56.4%57.4%
Death recorded among outcomes, per 1,000 reports243591
Hospitalisation recorded, per 1,000 reports331291213
Consumer-filed share78.5%79.1%45.8%
Top term, share of reportsBlood glucose increased 23%median 25.6%0.9%

Shares are of reports, not of patients treated. The number of people taking a product is not in the data, so none of these figures is a rate, and differences between columns reflect who takes a product, who reports and how long it has been sold. FDA states that adverse event reports "represent a small percentage of total usage numbers of a product", that "common products may have a higher number of adverse events due to the higher total number of people using the product", and that the data "by themselves are not an indicator of the safety profile of the drug or biologic."

Other drugs in the insulin class

DrugName typeReportsLatest 12 monthsMarked serious
Humulin Nbrand10,91415252.1%
Humulin Rbrand8,36221560.2%
Humulin 70/30brand6,87013249.7%
Insulin humangeneric3,41818670.9%
Novolin Rbrand1,63716476.8%
Novolin 70/30brand1,38810960%
Afrezzabrand1,216697.2%
Human insulingeneric636068.2%

Ordered by report count for navigation only. FDA states that adverse event reports "represent a small percentage of total usage numbers of a product", that "common products may have a higher number of adverse events due to the higher total number of people using the product", and that the data "by themselves are not an indicator of the safety profile of the drug or biologic." A brand and its generic are separate rows because reporters name them separately.

Questions about Novolin N reports

How many adverse event reports has FDA received for Novolin N?

1,680 reports list Novolin N as a suspect or interacting product in the openFDA FAERS release of 28 Sep 2026, covering reports received through June 2026. 106 of them arrived in the latest 12 months. Another 1,841 list it only as a concomitant medication.

What reactions are recorded in Novolin N reports?

blood glucose increased (23%), blood glucose decreased (9%), hypoglycaemia (5.4%), drug ineffective (4.6%) and product quality issue (3.2%). These are MedDRA preferred terms coded from what the reporter described; a report can list several, and a term's presence is not a finding that Novolin N was responsible.

How serious are the reports?

71.7% are marked serious by the reporter. Among the outcomes recorded, 2.4% of reports include death and 33.1% include hospitalisation. FDA has not verified these outcomes and states that the reports "cannot be used to estimate the incidence" of the events.

Who files these reports?

consumer or non-health professional (78.5%), physician (10.5%) and other health professional (4.4%). Most reports reach FDA through the manufacturer, which must forward reports it receives.

Are reports for Novolin N rising?

106 reports in the 12 months to June 2026, down 10% from 118 in the 12 months before. FDA releases FAERS data quarterly, so the newest months are incomplete and grow in later releases. Counts also move with how many people take a product, its time on the market and publicity.

Do these reports show that Novolin N was responsible for these reactions?

No. FDA states that "a causal relationship cannot be established between product and reactions listed in a report" and that for any given report "there is no certainty that a suspected drug caused the event." The reaction may relate to the condition being treated, to other medicines, or to something else.

Is this a list of the side effects of Novolin N?

No. It is a count of what was reported to FDA. The adverse reactions observed in clinical studies are printed on the FDA-approved label, which a pharmacist or clinician can go through with you.

How do I report an adverse event?

Consumers and health professionals can report to FDA through MedWatch (Form FDA 3500 online, or 1-800-FDA-1088), or to the manufacturer, which must pass reports on. See the guide on how to report.

Where this comes from. Counts are built from the openFDA Drug Adverse Event (FAERS) bulk export released 28 Sep 2026, which holds reports FDA received through 30 Jun 2026. Drug names are as reported, resolved to the brand or generic name on the FDA label where openFDA's harmonisation matched them; classes are the pharmacologic class (EPC) from the label and the National Drug Code Directory of 17 Sep 2026. A report counts here when it lists Novolin N as a suspect or interacting product; reports listing it only as a concomitant medication (1,841) are excluded. No report narrative, lot number, patient detail or reporter identity is published. See the methodology and sources; FDA's record is authoritative, and corrections are handled within five working days.

Drug data (FAERS) through 30 Jun 2026; device data (MAUDE) through 31 Aug 2026. Not medical advice.