OLDER INSULINS MAY BE ANSWER TO HIGH PRICE$

Rising costs of commonly prescribed insulins have caused some people to ration their medications for financial reasons. One option is to change to older, and still cheaper, versions of insulin.

The first insulin was made from animal products. In the early 1980s, the initial human-based recombinant medications (NPH, regular and mixtures branded Humulin and Novolin) were released. By the late 1990s, the currently preferred analog insulins (AI), including lispro, aspart, glargine and others, became available.

The analogs took the recombinant insulin molecule and altered it so the effects would be seen quicker and be active for a shorter time when covering meals. For longer, basal coverage, their action was prolonged so they could be injected once a day and still control blood sugars overnight and between