Insulin Degludec — A New Ultralong-Acting Insulin

Insulin degludec is a new ultralong-acting insulin. Its half-life (25 hours) and duration of action (>40 hours) are roughly twice that of insulin glargine (Lantus). In November 2012, an advisory committee recommended that the FDA approve degludec (the FDA usually follows advisory panel recommendations). Recently, the European Medicines Agency also recommended approval, and the drug was approved in Japan.

This phase III, industry-sponsored, open-label, randomized trial involved 1030 insulin-naive patients with type 2 diabetes (mean age, 59; mean duration of diabetes, 9 years; mean baseline glycosylated hemoglobin [HbA_1c], 8.2%). Patients injected either degludec or glargine once daily, and doses were titrated to a target fasting glucose level…