There are many types of insulin. All insulins help sugar to get inside the cell, but they are not all the same. Each type may be different in how fast it takes to start working. Each type may be different in howfast it takes to start working, how long it takes to control blood sugar, and how long it lasts in the body. These differences are important to know when learning about insulin so you will use your insulin in the right way.
• Onset: the length of time after injection that insulin begins to work
• Peak: the length of time after injection that the insulin takes to reach its maximum effect
• Duration: the length of time that the insulin continues to work inside the body
Three major drug companies manufacture insulin in the United States. These are Sanofi-aventis, Eli Lilly, and Novo Nordisk.
Types of insulin available in the United States
|
Generic Name |
Brand Name |
Form |
Manufacturer |
Clear or Cloudy |
|
Rapid-acting |
||||
|
insulin glulisine |
Apidra |
analog |
sanofi-aventis |
Clear |
|
insulin lispro |
Humalog |
analog |
Eli Lilly |
Clear |
|
Insulin aspart |
Novolog |
analog |
Novo Nordisk |
Clear |
|
Short-acting |
||||
|
regular |
Humulin R* |
human |
Eli Lilly |
Clear |
|
regular |
Novolin R |
human |
Novo Nordisk |
Clear |
|
Intermediate-acting |
||||
|
NPH |
Humulin N |
human |
Eli Lilly |
Cloudy |
|
NPH |
Novolin N |
human |
Novo Nordisk |
Cloudy |
|
Long-acting |
||||
|
insulin glargine |
Lantus |
analog |
sanofi-aventis |
Clear |
|
insulin glargine |
Levemir |
analog |
Novo Nordisk |
Clear |
|
Mixtures |
||||
|
75% insulin lispro Protamine and 25% insulin lispro |
Humalog Mix 75/25 |
analog |
Eli Lilly |
Cloudy |
|
50% lispro protamine and 25% insulin lispro |
Humalog Mix 50/50 |
analog |
Eli-Lilly |
Cloudy |
|
70% NPH/30% regular |
Humulin 70/30 |
human |
Eli Lilly |
Cloudy |
|
70% aspart protamine/30%insulin aspart |
Novolog mix 70/30 |
analog |
Novo Nordisk |
Cloudy |
|
70% NPH/30% regular |
Novolin |
human |
Novo Nordisk |
cloudy |
*All insulins in this chart come in a standard concentration of 100 units/mL (U-100) except Humulin R which is supplied in both 100 units/mL (U-100) and 500 units/mL (U-500)
