Eli Lilly Humalog and Sanofi-Aventis Lantus ‘equally effective’

Researchers have revealed that once-daily administration of Lantus (insulin glargine [rDNA origin] injection) from Sanofi-Aventis is as effective in controlling blood sugar as Humalog (insulin lispro) from Eli Lilly.

Humalog needs to be taken by patients three times every day, Reuters reports.

The study published in the Lancet involved 418 people across 69 sites with type two diabetes and also confirmed that Lantus is associated with a reduced risk of a potentially dangerous low blood sugar reading.

Patients administered with Lantus showed a drop in blood sugar levels from 8.7 per cent to seven per cent, while the decrease in patients receiving Humalog saw a decrease from 8.7 per cent to 6.8 per cent.

In the paper, the researchers wrote: “Study participants taking [Lantus] reported greater overall treatment satisfaction, with specific improvements in convenience of treatments.”

They added that Lantus provides a simple and effective treatment option for patients that is preferable for patients for early initiation of insulin therapy when compared to Humalog.

In June 2006, Sanofi-Aventis released a study that claimed that Lantus is better tolerated than insulin lispro.

It added that the compound offers significantly improve control of fasting blood glucose and nocturnal blood glucose, while lispro offers enhanced blood glucose control after meals.