Insulin glulisine: aspects of basal/bolus therapy for optimized treatment of diabetes mellitus.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE: The prevalence of diabetes mellitus continues to increase throughout the world with an expected doubling of documented cases between 2006 and 2030, diabetes deaths are expected to increase by more than 50% from 2006 to 2015. Therapeutic interventions should be based on scientific evidence, including earlier insulin initiation and use of a basal-bolus approach that better mimics normal physiology.

METHODS

This review focuses on insulin glulisine in the basal-bolus approach. It details pharmacological data, clinical efficacy, safety and tolerability, and potential effects on current treatment regimens.

RESULTS/CONCLUSION: Insulin glulisine offers a more rapid onset of action and shorter duration of action compared with regular human insulin. These characteristics result in an action profile that closely mimics the normal postmeal endogenous insulin response, thus fulfilling the prandial insulin requirement and making the basal-bolus treatment approach clinically achieveable.