Insulin Detemir—A New Basal Insulin Analog

OBJECTIVE: To review the pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, clinical trial data, adverse effects, and role in therapy of insulin detemir. DATA SOURCES: Articles and meeting abstracts were identified through searches of MEDLINE (1996-June 2004), EMBASE (1980-June 2004), and International Pharmaceutical Abstracts (1970-June 2004) databases, and unpublished information was provided by the manufacturer. STUDY SELECTION AND DATA EXTRACTION: All available studies relating to insulin detemir's pharmacology were selected. Only human studies were used for pharmacokinetic, drug interaction, efficacy, and safety data. DATA SYNTHESIS: Insulin detemir is a basal insulin analog that has been shown to improve glycemic control in patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes. CONCLUSIONS: Insulin detemir offers some benefits over NPH for use as basal insulin in patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes.