Comparison of highly purified semi-synthetic insulin and highly purified porcine insulin in the treatment of type I diabetes: interim report of a multi-centre randomised single blind study.

This is an interim report of a long term single-blind study of the effects of changing diabetic patients treated with highly purified porcine insulin to semi-synthetic human insulins of identical formulation. Twenty four insulin dependent diabetics were randomly allocated to continue with porcine insulin (n = 11) or human insulin (n = 13). There were no significant changes within the groups nor differences between the groups in mean preprandial capillary blood glucose, glycosylated haemoglobin or insulin dose during the first 24 weeks of the study. Insulin antibody levels remained low and did not differ between the groups. No local or systemic adverse reactions were observed. In this group of patients conversion to human insulin did not result in a change in diabetic control or insulin dose.