Comparison of Pharmacokinetics and Dynamics of the Long-Acting Insulin Analogs Glargine and Detemir at Steady State in Type 1 Diabetes: a Double-Blind, Randomized, Crossover Study

I congratulate Porcellati et al. (1) for a long-awaited comparison of glargine and detemir pharmacodynamics. They clearly show that the duration of action for glargine (but not detemir) is greater than 24 h.One of the major differences can be seen in the glucose infusion rate (GIR). At 12 h postinjection, glargine has higher area under the curve (AUC) GIR remaining (42 vs. 15%). The presence of GIR, a marker of insulin-mediated glucose disposal, proves the longer pharmacodynamic effect of glargine.Even so, the report of the insulin activity profile is confusing. The authors state …