Faster Insulin makes an Impact: harder – better – faster – stronger

Faster Insulin makes an Impact:

• Work it harder
• Make it better
• Do it faster
• Makes us stronger

I’d wager you never thought you would see Daft Punk quoted in an article about diabetes treatment advancements. But isn’t that exactly what we are looking for from our insulin? We want insulin to work harder, make it better, do it faster and make us stronger. This week at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) Annual Meeting, study results were presented confirming the positive effects of using faster acting insulin.

Fiasp (fast-acting insulin aspart) is a new insulin product by Novo nordisk being called “ultra-fast acting” insulin. Fiasp is the same strength at aspart insulin in that over the full 4 hour duration of insulin action it lowers the blood sugar by the same amount. The onset of action is roughly 6 minutes sooner than standard insulin aspart such as Novolog. The peak effect is achieved roughly 7 minutes sooner, and Fiasp is roughly 50% stronger over the first 30 minutes of action than its predecessors. These factors combine to make Fiasp more closely match the timing of post meal blood sugar changes than any insulin before.  This faster action still doesn’t compare to the speed of insulin one would produce in a non diabetic pancreas, but it is a step in the right direction.

The52 week study results presented this week at the EASD demonstrates a continuation of the improved post meal blood sugar control, and over all improved A1C seen in participants in an earlier 26 week study. Participants showed a statistically significant reduction in blood glucose levels 1 hour after a meal and no significant difference at 2 hours post meal. This means that Fiasp is having the same effect on blood sugar, just doing it faster. Results also confirmed the safety of Fiasp over 52 weeks. There was no higher incidence of side effects, including hypoglycemia, than with aspart insulin.

Anyone making the change from aspart to Fiasp should schedule with their provider, or Integrated Diabetes Services, to discuss treatment adjustments that may be needed. Though the 4 hour action of Fiasp is comparable to aspart insulin, the change in the timing of that action requires consideration to make the change safely.  For example the faster rate of action and stronger initial action will impact calculations of insulin on board. Actions that may be needed to correct for high or low blood sugars during the action time of Fiasp may also need some adjustment. The faster onset of action also means that timing boluses for coverage of slower acting meals may need to be modified to prevent unintended drops in blood sugar.

The last decade has shown advancements in how we administer insulin, but Fiasp has been the first change in how that insulin works. This is an exciting change with the potential to help us all find better blood glucose management.

Fiasp is approved for use in the nations of the European Union, Canada, Switzerland, and Australia. Fiasp is under review in 10 other nations and is pending FDA approval in the USA.

For our review of Fiasp click the link below: