RE: [IPk] Humalog/NovoRapid and tumours
>I think that its human nature to wonder why and where people get
>medical conditions from.
Thanks for your thoughts, Jackie.
To be honest, I know very little. I'm just sniffing around for any info.
There are plenty of people in Britain who cannot use 'human' insulin. It makes
them very ill. Some do not realise their problems may be caused by the choice of
insulin - but that's another tale (The BDA - as they were - estimated that 20%
of people are better off on animal insulin. Not an option now in some countries,
where animal insulins have been withdrawn by manufacturers or by law). Some
cannot use Humalog as it makes them immediately ill. Likewise, Lantus doesn't
work well for some people (as in Sasha's case). The action profile of insulins
like, say, Humalog or NovoRapid, varies from one day to the next in the same
person, and differs a lot between different people. That's why these action
graphs given out by manufacturers can be misleading: they don't tell you how
your insulin will work today.
Back to my problem:
a) Was I always destined to get a brain tumour?
b) Was it triggered by a change of washing powder or some other random event in
my life?
c) Did Humalog trigger it?
Novo were developing a genetically modified insulin before Lilly brought
Humalog to market. The Novo insulin was found to cause tumours in rats, so they
had to abandon it and start again. That's one reason NovoRapid came out a few
years after Humalog. So it is known that these new experimental insulins can
have nasty unwanted side effects, like prompting tumour growth.
>http://www.pslgroup.com/dg/979e.htm
Human trials of Humalog started 1990. Approved for market release in 1996. Is 5
or 6 years long enough to spot long-term effects? Don't know. Certainly
releasing them to market and watching for adverse effects in real-world users is
what pharmaceutical companies do today. Was there not a Type 2 product that was
withdrawn after a few hundred people had died from the drug's side effects? I
was an early user of Humalog. Exclusively Humalog. Did the the trials include
people on only Humalog? It's only recently been approved for pump use in America
- and yet it has been the most popular pump insulin for years! That's how the
world works.
Certainly this conclusion to the abstract of the Cochrane report makes me
suspicious:
Reviewers' conclusions: Our analysis suggests only a minor benefit of short
acting insulin analogues in the majority of diabetic patients treated with
insulin. Until long term efficacy and safety data are available we suggest a
cautious response to the vigorous promotion of insulin analogues. Due to fears
of potentially carcinogenic and proliferative effects, most studies to date have
excluded patients with advanced diabetic complications. For safety purposes, we
need a long-term follow-up of large numbers of patients who use short acting
insulin analogues. Furthermore, we need well designed studies in pregnant women
to determine the safety profile for both the mother and the unborn child.
I'm not criticising Humalog or NovoRapid directly by the way! I'm just looking
to see if there is any evidence against it.
John
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