Lower severe hypoglycemia risk: insulin glargine versus NPH insulin in type 2 diabetes

Hypoglycemia is a common consequence of achieving tight glycemic control for patients with type 2 diabetes, with clinical effects ranging from occasional mild discomfort to incapacitation, coma, or in rare cases, death. Severe hypoglycemic events, particularly those resulting in emergency medical intervention or hospitalization, incur substantial medical costs for patients and the healthcare system. Although vigilance is needed for the possibility of severe events, hypoglycemia need not be a barrier to effective glycemic control in type 2 diabetes. Data from clinical trials and meta-analyses have demonstrated that the basal insulin analog insulin glargine results in a reduced rate of severe hypoglycemic events compared with conventional insulin therapy such as neutral protamine Hagedorn (NPH) insulin. Overall, use of insulin glargine compared with NPH insulin appears to reduce the risk of nocturnal and severe hypoglycemia by 40% to 60% and may result in cost savings. Analyses of hypoglycemia rates from "real-world" clinical practice databases and retrospective analyses of medical claims data also have revealed reduced rates with insulin glargine, consistent with the findings from clinical trials.