Diabetes Care, Vol 20, Issue 10 1612-1614, Copyright © 1997 by American Diabetes Association
Insulin aspart in a 30/70 premixed formulation. Pharmacodynamic properties of a rapid-acting insulin analog in stable mixture
C Weyer, T Heise and L Heinemann
Department of Metabolic Diseases and Nutrition, World Health Organization Collaborating Center for Diabetes Treatment and Prevention, Heinrich Heine University of Dusseldorf, Germany.
OBJECTIVE: To study the pharmacodynamic properties of a 30/70 premixed
formulation of the rapid-acting insulin analog insulin aspart (B28Asp) and
its protamine-retarded preparation (30/70 IA) in comparison with a
respective mixture of soluble human insulin and NPH insulin (30/70 HI).
RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: In this single-center double-blind euglycemic
glucose-clamp study, 24 healthy male volunteers (age, 26 +/- 2 years; BMI,
23.7 +/- 1.7 kg/m2) received single subcutaneous injections of 0.3 U/kg
body wt of either 30/70 IA or 30/70 HI on 2 study days in randomized order.
Glucose infusion rates (GIRs) were determined over a 24-h period after
administration. RESULTS: The injection of 30/70 IA resulted in an earlier
onset and more pronounced peak of action (tmax, 127 +/- 24 min; GIRmax 9.7
+/- 2.3 mg.kg-1.min-1) than 30/70 HI (tmax, 185 +/- 52 min; GIRmax, 7.4 +/-
1.7 mg.kg-1.min-1_ (P < 0.001). The metabolic activity of 30/70 IA
(measured as the sum of the glucose infused) within the first 4 h after
injection was 37% greater than that of 30/70 HI (P < 0.0001), while the
total metabolic potencies over 24 h of both preparations were comparable.
CONCLUSIONS: The 30/70 premixed formulation of insulin aspart shows a
significantly greater metabolic effect in the first 4 h after subcutaneous
injection than the 30/70 mixture of human insulin. Insulin aspart retains
its pharmacodynamic properties in a premixed 30/70 formulation.