Humalog Cleared In UK, Approved In USA

Eli Lilly has launched its insulin analog Humalog (insulin lispro) onto the UK market for the treatment of diabetes mellitus. It has now been launched in six countries. Humalog allows diabetics more flexibility about when they inject before a meal, and restores blood glucose control to near-normal levels.

The National Health Service price of Humalog is L15.71 ($24.11) for a 3.5mg/ml, 10ml vial for parenteral administration, and L13.39 for five 3.5mg/ml, 1.5ml cartridges for use in pen injection devices for subcutaneous administration.

Humalog is almost identical to human insulin, with the exception that two amino acids in the peptide (proline and lysine) are transposed (hence lispro). This does not alter its behavior of insulin in the body, but it does dramatically increase the rate at which the molecule is absorbed into the bloodstream. This means that diabetics can inject Humalog closer to mealtimes (15 minutes before is recommended), than with other insulin preparations, which need to be injected 30-45 minutes beforehand. Compliance with this time constraint is poor, according to diabetes specialists.