This website is intended for people who are prescribed pre-filled Novo Nordisk pens for diabetes and weight management only. Side effects information can be found in the footer of this page.
Frequently asked questions
PenCycle® is brought to you by Novo Nordisk. Novo Nordisk is a global healthcare company, founded in Denmark in 1923. Our purpose at Novo Nordisk is to defeat diabetes, obesity, rare blood and growth hormone disorders, to improve the lives of millions of people.
Everything we do is based on acting socially, environmentally and financially responsibly with planned zero environmental impact. We call this ”Circular for Zero”.
This information can be found on the label of your pen. If you’re unsure, you can always ask at the pharmacy.
Other medical devices, for example insulin vials, insulin pumps and pens from other companies, cannot currently be recycled as part of PenCycle®, but our goal is to find an industry-wide solution. Only pre-filled Novo Nordisk pens can be returned to us in the supplied, dedicated PenCycle® return box. You can pick one of these up from a participating pharmacy, or you can order a return box directly to your home.
Yes, you can return your empty, pre-filled Novo Nordisk pens if you live within the devolved nations of the UK (England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland).
Your local pharmacy will be able to confirm if they are participating in the initiative and can accept your empty pens. If not, your return box can be posted via Royal Mail, free of charge.
You can drop off empty pre-filled Novo Nordisk pens in a return box at any participating pharmacy.
No, pens can only be recycled through the PenCycle® initiative. PenCycle® will use existing logistics routes to minimise the environmental impact, and GP surgeries, secondary care clinics and hospital clinics are not currently part of these routes.
Every empty, pre-filled Novo Nordisk pen that is returned to us will be sent back to our specialist facility in Denmark to be recycled. This process will use existing logistics routes to minimise the environmental impact. Every shipment of pens will be tracked and recorded to make sure none of them end up in landfill or incinerated.
Every pre-filled Novo Nordisk pen returned to us through PenCycle® will be recycled into useful new products, giving them new purpose. For example:
- The plastic has gone into new furniture
- The glass has been repurposed into lamps
Novo Nordisk will not be selling or profiting from the products made.
Usually, empty medical devices like pre-filled Novo Nordisk pens are sent to landfill or destroyed as hazardous waste through incineration. The plastic in these pens is not biodegradable, so it could lie in landfill for hundreds of years. Incineration uses a lot of energy, produces gases that are harmful to the environment, and also leaves some plastic waste behind. By PenCycling, you are making sure your pen is repurposed to create useful new products rather than going to waste.
Yes. They are recyclable and are being recycled in Denmark after opening and emptying.
Reporting of
side effects
If you get any side effects, talk to your doctor, pharmacist or nurse. This includes any possible side effects not listed in the package leaflet. You can also report side effects directly via the Yellow Card Scheme at https://yellowcard.mhra.gov.uk/.
Side effects should also be reported to Novo Nordisk Limited (Telephone Novo Nordisk Customer Care Centre 0800 023 2573). Calls may be monitored for training purposes. By reporting side effects, you can help provide more information on the safety of this medicine.