[Diabetes-talk] Pharmacology of Glargine

[Mike Freeman]

Hi, everyone!

Yesterday, I was looking at the lantus website, http://www.lantus.com and became intrigued by the pharmacology of lantus. This long-lasting basal insulin, when injected, has a pH of 4 which makes it mildly acidic. Under this circumstance, lantus is water-soluble and thus is injected easily. Once under the skin, however, the solution is almost immediately nutralized (pH of 7) and is no longer water-soluble and thus comes out as a precipitate that releases its insulin over the next 24 hours.

My hat is off to whomever came up with this clever notion of how to make a long-lasting, peakless insulin. Wish I had that kind of imagination!

Mike Freeman