Comparison of the Subcutaneous Absorption of Insulin Glargine (Lantus®) and NPH Insulin in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes

Abstract

The aim of this study was to compare the subcutaneous absorption characteristics of insulin glargine with NPH insulin in patients with Type 2 diabetes. In this single-dose, double-blind, randomized, two-way crossover study, 14 patients with Type 2 diabetes (aged 40 - 70 years) previously untreated with insulin were randomized to receive in a fasting state either a single subcutaneous injection of 0.3 U/kg ¹²⁵I-insulin glargine or 0.3 U/kg ¹²⁵I-NPH insulin. The disappearance of radioactivity was monitored for forty-eight hours. The median time for 25 %, 50 % and 75 % of the radioactivity to disappear from the injection site was significantly longer for insulin glargine compared with NPH insulin (T_{75 %} 15.0 and 6.5 h, p = 0.009; T_{50 %} 26.3 and 13.4 h, p = 0.009; T_{25 %} 42.4 and 26.6 h, p = 0.019, respectively). The mean residual radioactivity remaining at 24, 36 and 48 h after injection remained significantly higher than NPH insulin (54.4 and 27.9 %, p = 0.0001; 35.0 and 17.0 %, p = 0.003; 19.2 and 9.2 %, p = 0.01, respectively). Mean plasma glucose levels reached a minimum after 14.6 and 9 h in response to insulin glargine and NPH insulin, respectively. The subcutaneous absorption of insulin glargine in fasting Type 2 diabetes patients was significantly (2 - 3 times) slower compared with NPH insulin in patients with Type 2 diabetes. The slower absorption of insulin glargine correlated with the fall in plasma glucose levels over a 24 h period compared with the faster insulin absorption and more rapid decrease in plasma glucose levels observed in response to NPH insulin. Both insulin glargine and NPH insulin were well tolerated.

Key words

Absorption - Insulin - Type 2 diabetes

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