[The biological effect of purely synthetic human insulin in patients with diabetes mellitus].

Six patients with diabetes were treated with fully synthetic human insulin (CGP 12 831) for durations of 3 days (4 patients), 4 days and 13 days (1 patient each). In every case, clinical signs of hypoglycemia were registered and measured by blood sugar determinations. Two patients with insulin-dependent diabetes were maintained on synthetic insulin. Ketoacidosis was corrected in 1 patient. In a hyperglycemic diabetic with failing response to oral antidiabetics, synthetic insulin normalized the hyperglycemia. In 2 juveniles with recent onset of diabetes, every injection of synthetic insulin was followed by a fall in blood sugar. In a normal individual, hypoglycemia developed after a single injection of 8 units. The synthetic human insulin was well tolerated. The 6 diabetics showed evidence of full biological action of the fully synthetic insulin, as was expected from animal experiments.