Source: DGNews  |  Posted 9 years ago

By Emma Hitt
Special to DG News

BUDAPEST, HUNGARY -- September 2, 2002 -- Insulin glargine appears to be equivalent to, if not more effective than, neutral protamine Hagedorn (NPH) insulin in improving HbA1c and fasting blood glucose (FBG) levels among patients with type I diabetes.
Insulin glargine is a long-acting recombinant human insulin analog indicated for type I and type 2 diabetics. A once-daily injection is thought to minimize hypoglycemia because of its prolonged absorption profile.

Findings of two randomized trials were presented today (September 2) during the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) meeting, in Budapest, Hungary.

In one study, Dr. Greg Fulcher with the Royal North Shore Hospital, St Leonard's, New South Wales, Australia, and colleagues randomized 49 male and 76 female patients with poorly controlled type I diabetes (HbA1c greater than 8.0 percent) to receive either insulin glargine or NPH insulin at bedtime for 30 weeks.

Patient satisfaction was evaluated using a diabetes treatment satisfaction questionnaire, and severity of hypoglycemic events was classified as mild, moderate, and severe using predetermined criteria.

By the end of the study, HbA1c was reduced significantly in patients receiving insulin glargine compared to those receiving NPH insulin (8.43 percent