Insulin Degludec: A Novel Basal Insulin Analogue

OBJECTIVE:To review the pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, clinical trial data, adverse effects, and potential role in therapy of insulin degludec.DATA SOURCES:Articles were identified using the MEDLINE database (January 1996-December 2012). Abstracts and posters were identified from respective congressional websites and published supplements of the American Diabetes Association, the European Association for the Study of Diabetes, and the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (January 2008-December 2012). Clinicaltrials.gov was used to identify any ongoing clinical trials or completed trials whose results had not been presented or published.STUDY SELECTION AND DATA EXTRACTION:All available studies were reviewed for inclusion; pharmacokinetic studies were limited to those reporting human data.DATA SYNTHESIS:Insulin degludec is a novel, ultra-long-acting basal insulin analogue that has a similar safety and efficacy profile when compared with insulin glargine in patients with type 1 or type 2 diabet...