Is Insulin analogs safe?
Decades of use; ORIGIN found no cancer signal
Hypoglycaemia is the main risk of any insulin. The analogs cut it but do not remove it. Weight gain, lumps or dents at injection sites (lipodystrophy) and, rarely, allergic reactions are shared across the class. In 2009, observational studies looked at a possible cancer signal with insulin glargine. A large randomised trial (ORIGIN) and later analyses did not confirm it. In the US, cost has been the practical safety problem, and patients have rationed doses. List prices fell in 2023 and 2024, and several biosimilars are now sold. After the Levemir withdrawal, patients had to switch to other basal insulins. 312
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Citations
- Novo Nordisk: Levemir (insulin detemir) discontinuation information novocare.com
- Riddle 2003, Diabetes Care: the Treat-to-Target trial, glargine versus NPH added to oral therapy in type 2 diabetes doi.org
- 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.