Activate cells of the pancreas by the ring:
Insulin is a hormone produced naturally by the pancreas, more precisely by specialized cells located in the islets of Langerhans. It allows glucose (sugar) to enter the cells of the body. These will use the glucose as an energy source or store it in the liver and muscles for future use.
In people who do not live with diabetes, insulin is secreted continuously. The body produces the necessary amount of insulin according to its needs and the food that is consumed. For example, after a meal, the pancreas secretes extra insulin, which keeps blood glucose, or blood sugar levels, within normal limits.
Insulin in people living with diabetes:
In people living with type 1 diabetes, the pancreas does not produce insulin. This is why she must inject insulin several times a day or use an insulin pump, in order to mimic the normal functioning of the pancreas.
In people living with type 2 diabetes, the pancreas still produces insulin, but not enough. It also happens that it is not used well by the body, this is called insulin resistance. Therefore, the person may need antihyperglycemic drugs, in addition to adopting healthy lifestyle habits, to bring their blood sugar levels within normal range. Sometimes she also has to use insulin.
Pregnant women with gestational diabetes may also need insulin injections.
Insulin in the laboratory:
There are two categories of laboratory-made insulin: human insulin and analog insulin. The molecular structure of human insulin is identical to the insulin produced by the human pancreas, while the structure of analogue insulin is slightly modified compared to human insulin, in order to give it new properties.
Insulin concentration is expressed in units per cc (1 cc = 1 millilitre). In Canada, the majority of insulins have the same concentration, ie 100 units per cc, but there are also some with concentrations of 200, 300 and 500 units per cc. Concentrations can vary from country to country, so it's important to read labels carefully if you need to buy insulin abroad.
Storing insulin:
The conservation of insulin is of paramount importance. The one that is in use can be kept at room temperature, usually for a period of one month. It should never be subjected to extreme temperatures (frost, sun). Reserve insulin must be refrigerated.
Be well trained:
Anyone treated with insulin should receive training from a healthcare professional. Teaching must include the different steps of the injection technique as well as the identification, treatment and prevention of hypoglycemia.
Biosimilar medicines:
In recent years, a new category of drugs has appeared on the market: biosimilar drugs. These are medicines that have been shown to be very similar to a biological medicine already authorized for sale (known as a reference biological medicine), but whose patent and data protections have expired. Manufacturers of biosimilar drugs must provide Health Canada with information that compares the biosimilar drug to the reference biologic drug. Health Canada then provides all the information provided to confirm that the biosimilar and the reference biologic drug are similar and that there are no clinically important differences between them in terms of safety and effectiveness.
Types of bioinsulin substitutes:
To date, three biosimilar insulins are available on the market:
insulin glargine BasaglarTM whose reference biologic drug is insulin Lantus®
insulin aspart TrurapiTM whose reference biologic drug is NovoRapid®
insulin Admelog® whose reference biologic drug is Humalog®.
