Humalog was launched in 1996 in Australia, Denmark, Germany, Russia, S.
Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Canada, Czech Republic, Lithuania, the UK and
the US as a fast-acting human insulin analog. It was prepared by recombinant DNA
technology using a non-disease producing laboratory strain of E. coh containing the
gene for insulin lispro precursor protein and purified as a zinc complex. Conceptually
designed from insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) the amino acid residues 28 and 29
of B chain have been inverted. This modification reduces the propensity to form
dimers and the dimers to form hexamers. Thus this form of insulin has an increased
rate of absorption since dissociation of the hexamer to monomer is the rate limiting
step. The rapid absorption and short duration of action results in a significant
advantage in controlling blood glucose levels after meals compared to normal insulin.
