Insulin glargine: a long-acting insulin for diabetes mellitus.

Insulin glargine is a once-daily, biosynthetic, human insulin analogue. Some trials show that in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus, insulin glargine offers an advantage in blood glucose control compared with NPH insulin. There is some evidence of decreased nocturnal and symptomatic hypoglycemia in patients receiving insulin glargine compared with those receiving NPH insulin, but there are no significant differences in the incidence of severe hypoglycemia. Insulin glargine is approved for use in Canada, but it has not yet been marketed.