Animal Insulins - Current Status

There is no significant difference in the metabolic control with animal or human insulin. At present there is no clinical data comparing the diabetes related mortality and complications, with animal or human insulin. The earlier animal insulins were more immunogenic as compared to human insulin, but the present day highly purified monocomponent insulins are less antigenic and the difference in the antigenicity as compared to human insulin has not proved to be of clinical importance. The receptor binding affinity of animal insulin at the major sites of action as well as the post receptor events is similar to human insulin. The complications like insulin lipodystrophy, lipoatrophy, insulin allergy and insulin resistance seen with the older impure animal insulins is uncommon with the highly purified animal insulins and synthetic insulins. Hypoglycemic unawareness is seen more with the human insulin as compared to the animal insulin. The animal insulins are more cost effective in the long-term management of the insulin requiring diabetics, especially in a developing country like ours.