Insulin aspart (Novorapid), a rapid acting insulin analogue, was launched on September 21 by Novo Nordisk for the treatment of type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus. The company says that insulin aspart has a more rapid onset and a shorter duration of action than soluble insulin and that it significantly reduces blood glucose levels during the day without excessively reducing them during the night. This gives improved glycaemic control without an increased risk of hypoglycaemia, it says. Insulin aspart may be injected immediately before meals, rather than up to 30 minutes before meals, as required with soluble insulin.
Insulin aspart is particularly suitable for patients at risk of hypoglycaemia, especially major nocturnal hypoglycaemia, the risk of which has been shown to be reduced by up to 50 per cent compared with soluble human insulin, Novo Nordisk says.
Another human insulin analogue, insulin lispro, has been available since June, 1996. Dr Simon Heller (consultant clinician, Northern General hospital, Sheffield) said at the launch of Novorapid that there had been no "head to head trial" comparing insulin aspart with insulin lispro. However, he would "not expect huge differences in the pharmacokinetics". While the insulin analogues as a group were not suitable for everyone, they were "beneficial in people attempting tight glucose control," he said.
The British Diabetic Association welcomed the introduction, saying: "Some people with diabetes have found that fast acting insulins have given them more flexibility whilst improving their diabetes control."