Efficacy and safety of insulin lispro protamine suspension as basal supplementation in patients with type 2 diabetes.

The three currently marketed long-acting insulin analogs, glargine, detemir and insulin lispro protamine suspension (ILPS), represent the most significant advances in basal insulin supplementation since the 1940s and 1950s and the introduction of the intermediate-acting NPH (neutral protamine Hagedorn) insulin. As injection of NPH insulin lacks chronic maintenance of a steady-state low-level basal insulin during fasting periods, which can also expose patients to unpredictable nocturnal hypoglycemia, long-acting insulin analogs have been developed to overcome this important limitation of NPH insulin. ILPS is a protamine-based, intermediate-acting insulin formulation of the short-acting analog insulin lispro: its pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic characteristics are quite similar to the other basal insulin analogs glargine and detemir. In recent head-to-head randomized controlled trials of insulin-naïve patients with type 2 diabetes, ILPS achieved similar glycemic control compared with glargine or detemir. ILPS administered once daily is an effective and safe way to maintain a steady-state low-level basal insulin during night time, not dissimilar from that currently obtained with a one-day glargine or detemir administration.