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Insulins
Insulin is a natural substance that is produced in the human body by the pancreas. Insulin helps control the use of glucose (sugar) in the body. Insulin is also involved in the processes that break down carbohydrates, fats, and proteins received from the diet into substances the body can use.
Drugs in this Class
Insulin Aspart injection (Novolog)
Insulin Glargine injection (Lantus)
Insulin Lispro (Humalog)
Insulin glulisine (Apidra)
Insulin injection (Humulin, Iletin II, Novolin, Velosulin)
Summarizing the Evidence
* Historically, insulin was derived from animal sources, mainly the cow and pig. With advances in medicine over the past few decades, namely recombinant DNA technology, human insulin can now be manufactured or synthesized. Synthetic human insulin is identical to natural insulin that is made in human body and is now the most common form of insulin used.
* Various formulations of human insulin are available including regular insulin (R), isophane insulin (NPH), lente insulin (L), and ultralente insulin (U). To decrease the number of injections for those individuals who require more than one kind of insulin, insulins have also been combined into one product. These combined insulin products include 70/30 insulin (comprised of 70% NPH / 30% R), 50/50 insulin (comprised of 50% NPH / 50% R), and Humalog 75/25 insulin (comprised of an insulin lispro mix).
* The newest forms of insulin include insulin lispro, insulin aspart, and insulin glargine. These forms of insulin were created in hopes to lessen side effects, improve effectiveness, and have differing onsets, peaks, and duration of activity over the previous human insulin formulations. To see how the various insulins compare with regard to their onset of blood sugar-lowering activity, their peak time of effect, and their duration of effect on blood sugar-lowering, please see the table directly below.
* Since the different types of insulin vary in onset of action, time to peak effect, and duration of action, your doctor will decide what type of insulin is best for you. In general, Humulin and Novolin brands of regular, NPH, lente, and 70/30 insulin are equally effective. Humulin is the only available brand of ultralente insulin.
* Clinical studies have compared insulin aspart and insulin lispro to regular insulin, and they were found to have similarly efficacy to regular insulin. However, insulin aspart and insulin lispro may be associated with fewer low blood sugar episodes (hypoglycemia) than regular insulin. Additionally, insulin lispro may offer more flexibility than regular insulin in regards to timing the dose with meals.
* Insulin glargine was compared to NPH insulin in clinical trials, and no differences were seen in overall effectiveness. However, fewer low blood sugar episodes (especially nighttime episodes) were seen with insulin glargine. There are no published clinical trial results comparing insulin glargine to ultralente insulin.
* The most commonly used insulin combination in the United States is regular insulin plus NPH insulin.
Dosing and Administration
* Insulin regimens must be customized to each individual. Some patients may require one injection daily; other patients may require two to four injections daily. Slight differences do exist in the timing of insulin injections. Most insulin doses are injected approximately 30 minutes prior to a meal. Insulin lispro is recommended to be given 15 minutes before or immediately after a meal whereas insulin aspart should generally be given immediately before a meal (start of meal within 5 to 10 minutes after injection).
Generic Availability
* None of the human insulin products are available in generic formulations at this time.
Drug Interactions
Some interactions between medications can be more severe than others. The best way for you to avoid harmful interactions is to tell your doctor and/or pharmacist what medications you are currently taking, including any over-the-counter products, vitamins, and herbals. For specific information on how the drugs interact and the severity of the interaction, please use our Drug Interactions Checker.
Side Effects
To view specific side effect information, please use our Side Effect Checker.
Additional Information
References
1. McEvoy GE, ed. American Hospital Formulary Service drug information 2002. Bethesda, MD: American Society of Health-System Pharmacists; 2002:2997-3018.
2. Drug Facts and Comparisons. Updated Monthly. St. Louis, MO: Facts and Comparisons, A Wolters Kluwer Company. November 2000:287-290.
3. NovoLog [package insert]. Princeton, NJ: Novo Nordisk Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; December 2001.
4. Humalog [package insert]. Indianapolis,IN: Eli Lilly and Company; May 1, 2000.
5. Lantus [package insert]. Kansas City, MO: Aventis Pharmaceutical Inc; February 2001.
6. Bode B, Weinstein R, Bell D, et al. Comparison of insulin aspart with buffered regular insulin and insulin lispro in continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion: a randomized study in type 1 diabetes. Diabetes Care. 2002;25(3):439-444.
7. Renner R, Pfutzner A, Trautmann M, et al., on behalf of the German Humalog CSII study group. Use of insulin lispro in continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion treatment. Diabetes Care. 1999;22:784-788.
8. Hanaire-Broutin H, Melki V, Bessieres-Lacombe S, Tauber JP. Comparison of continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion and multiple daily injection regimens using insulin lispro in Type 1 diabetic patients on intensified treatment. A randomized study. Diabetes Care. 2000;23:1232-1235.
9. Raskin P, Guthrie RA, Leiter L, Riis A, Jovanovic L. Use of insulin aspart, a fast-acting insulin analog, as the mealtime insulin in the management of patients with type 1 diabetes. Diabetes Care. 2000;23(5):583-588.
10. Home PD, Lindholm A, Riis A, European Insulin Aspart Study Group. Insulin aspart vs. human insulin in the management of long-term blood glucose control in Type 1 diabetes mellitus: a randomized controlled trial. Diabet Med. 2000;17(11):762-770.
11. Anderson JH Jr, Brunelle RL, Keohane P, et al. Mealtime treatment with insulin analog improves postprandial hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia in patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. Multicenter Insulin Lispro Study Group. Arch Intern Med. 1997;157(11):1249-1255.
12. Hedman CA, Lindstrom T, Arnqvist HF. Direct comparison of insulin lispro and aspart shows small differences in plasma insulin profiles after subcutaneous injection in Type 1 diabetes. Diabetes Care. 2001;24(6):1120-1121.
13. Rosenstock J, Park G, Zimmerman J, for the U.S. Insulin Glargine (HOE 901) Type 1 Diabetes Investigator Group. Basal insulin glargine (HOE 901) versus NPH insulin in patients with Type 1 diabetes on multiple daily insulin regimens. Diabetes Care. 2000;23(8):1137-1142.
14. Pieber TR, Eugene-Jolchine I, Derobert E, and the European Study Group of HOE 901 in Type 1 diabetes. Efficacy and safety of HOE901 versus NPH insulin in patients with Type I diabetes. Diabetes Care. 2000;23(2):157-162.
15. Raskin P, Klaff L, Bergenstal R, et al. A 16-week comparison of the novel insulin analog insulin glargine (HOE 901) and NPH human insulin used with insulin lispro in patients with Type 1 diabetes. Diabetes Care. 2000;23(11):1666-1671.
16. Ratner RE, Hirsch IB, Neifing JL, et al., for the U.S. Study Group of Insulin Glargine in Type 1 Diabetes. Less hypoglycemia with insulin glargine in intensive insulin therapy for Type 1 Diabetes. Diabetes Care. 2000;23(5):639-643.
17. Yki-Harvinen H, Dressler A, Ziemen M, for the HOE 901/3002 Study Group. Less nocturnal hypoglycemia and better post-dinner glucose control with bedtime insulin glargine compared with bedtime NPH insulin during insulin combination therapy in Type 2 Diabetes. Diabetes Care. 2000;23(8):1130-1136.
18. The Diabetes Control and Complications Trial Research Group. The effect of intensive treatment of diabetes on the development and progression of long-term complications in insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. N Engl J Med. 1993;329(14):977-986.
19. UK Prospective Diabetes Study (UKPDS) Group. Intensive blood-glucose control with sulphonylureas or insulin compared with conventional treatment and risk of complications in patients with type 2 diabetes (UKPDS 33). The Lancet. 1998;352:837-853.