Peptide Graded

Insulin analogs

Does Insulin analogs work?

Yes, in large controlled trials, including one of 756 adults.

AStrong human evidenceFDA approvedas of 2026-10-26

Every insulin analog was approved on randomised trials against human insulin. The cited Treat-to-Target trial randomised 756 adults with type 2 diabetes to glargine or NPH insulin added to oral drugs for 24 weeks and found the same glucose control with fewer night-time lows on glargine. 23

In the Treat-to-Target trial, Riddle and colleagues randomised 756 overweight adults with type 2 diabetes. Their diabetes was poorly controlled on oral drugs. They got bedtime glargine or NPH for 24 weeks, both adjusted to a fasting glucose goal. Nearly 60% of each group reached an HbA1c of 7% or below. Glargine caused significantly less night-time hypoglycaemia. Rates of other kinds of symptomatic hypoglycaemia were 21 to 48% lower. About 25% more patients on glargine (33.2% against 26.7%) reached the HbA1c goal without a documented night-time low. 2

In type 1 diabetes, rapid-acting analogs gave modest drops in post-meal glucose and hypoglycaemia against regular human insulin. HbA1c differed little. So their main advantage is practical: people can inject right before eating. 3

Evidence checklist

  • Randomised controlled trial Treat-to-Target and other randomized trials
  • Human study over 100 people Treat-to-Target, 756 adults
  • More than one research group Many trials, products, and sponsors
  • Clinical outcomes, not surrogate markers HbA1c and night lows, not complications
  • Human safety data beyond case reports Decades of use; ORIGIN found no cancer signal

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More on Insulin analogs

Citations

  1. Novo Nordisk: Levemir (insulin detemir) discontinuation information novocare.com
  2. Riddle 2003, Diabetes Care: the Treat-to-Target trial, glargine versus NPH added to oral therapy in type 2 diabetes doi.org
  3. Eli Lilly: Humalog (insulin lispro) prescribing information uspl.lilly.com

Reference information only, not medical advice. Drawn from the Insulin analogs article, fact-checked against the cited sources. No dosing anywhere on this site.