This was brought up on a different thread yesterday. Actually it’s brought up quite often in discussion. So I wanted to post it here for reference and I thought it would be good to have all the studies referenced easily.
Here are some studies comparing the effectiveness of NovoLog vs Humalog in a pump. For each link I highlighted a bit of the relevant text.
(By the way, in all of these studies they use the insulin names rather than the brand names. So Aspart means “NovoLog”, and Lispro means “Humalog”. )
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Results:
“A series of chemical and covalent changes affecting the primary structure of an insulin preparation, however, may cause decomposition during storage, handling, and use, diminishing the potency of the insulin molecule while contained in an insulin pump. Precipitation, fibrillation, and occlusion may ensue, undermining compatibility for CSII pump use. Aspart has demonstrated the greatest chemical and physical stability in the insulin pump, with the lowest rates of overall occlusion in comparison with lispro and glulisine.”
Conclusion: “Aspart is the most compatible of the 3 RAIAs [rapid-acting insulin analogues] for pump use.”
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Conclusions:
“Resistance towards isoelectric precipitation is highest for IAsp [insulin aspart], lowest for ILis [insulin lispro], and intermediate for BHR [buffered human regular insulin]. Isoelectric precipitation will alter the pharmacokinetic properties of the insulin and could lead to occlusion of the infusion catheter, causing elevated blood glucose and ultimately causing diabetic ketoacidosis if no intervention is made.”
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Results:
“Not all insulins are equally suited for use in CSII [continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion] treatment.…The overall adverse-effect score was significantly lower (P<0.005) with insulin aspart than with insulin lispro, as were scores for pain/burning and inflammation (both, P<0.01) and dermal redness (P<0.001).”
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Results:
“Postprandial blood glucose was more stable with insulin aspart than insulin lispro”
Conclusions: “Postprandial glucose was more stable when insulin aspart was infused as a pre-meal bolus compared with insulin lispro, indicating a more favorable effect of insulin aspart on postprandial glucose.”
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“Daily insulin dose (units per kilogram) was significantly lower at week 16 for subjects treated with aspart compared with those treated with lispro (0.86 ± 0.237 vs. 0.94 ± 0.233, P = 0.018).”
https://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/31/2/210
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Case Study:
“Although the mechanism for improved infusion site duration with insulin aspart is not known, the response is consistent over the lifetime of the infusion site, and has not been accompanied by an increased frequency of hypoglycemia. The improved predictability of insulin aspart has encouraged P.L. and his family to more confidently adjust the insulin pump settings to maintain tighter glycemic control without increasing the risk of hypoglycemia.”