A practical approach for implementation of a basal-prandial insulin therapy regimen in patients with type 2 diabetes

Table 4 Time-Action Profiles of Insulins [44]

Insulin Type	Onset	Peak (h)	Duration of Action (h)
Rapid acting
Lispro, aspart, glulisine	5–15 min	0.5–1.5	2–4
Inhaled insulin [32]	5–15 min	0.5–1.5	3–6
Short acting
Regular human	30–60 min	2–3	3–6
Intermediate acting
Human NPH	2–4 h	4–10	10–16
Long acting (basal)
Insulin glargine	1–2 h	No pronounced peak	≈ 24
Insulin detemir [45]	1–2 h	Less pronounced peak (≈ 6)	18–24

Premixed:
Comprised of intermediate-acting insulin with either regular human insulin or a rapid-acting analog in a fixed ratio (eg, 70/30); thus, the onset, peak, and duration reflect the combined effect of these components.
Copyright ^© 2002 From Insulin therapy in type 2 diabetes mellitus by Ahmann AJ, Riddle MC. In: Leahy JL, Cefalu WT (eds) Insulin Therapy. Reproduced by permission of Routledge/Taylor & Francis Group, LLC