Long-acting insulin is safer, more effective for patients with type 1 diabetes

Long-acting insulin is safer and more effective than intermediate-acting insulin for patients with type 1 diabetes, according to new research published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ). Researchers looked at once-daily and twice-daily doses of both long- and intermediate-acting insulin, ranking their effectiveness, safety and cost-effectiveness.

"In patients with type 1 diabetes, we found that long-acting insulin is superior to intermediate-acting insulin when it came to controlling blood sugar, preventing weight gain and treating severe hypoglycemia," said Andrea Tricco, the lead author of the paper and a scientist in the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute of St. Michael's Hospital.

Using data from 39 studies, Dr Tricco and her colleagues compared two long-acting forms of insulin – glargine and detemir – against intermediate-acting forms, such as such as neutral protamine hagedorn (NPH).