RE: [IPk] Humalog/NovoRapid and tumours
John Neale wrote:
>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.
I think the clear answer to John's question is no. Unless the effects are
quite dramatic, they're not going to show up in 5 or 6 years. And if they
do, the product will be pulled. Also, if you look at the product insert of
many drugs, the list of 'side effects' can be as long as your arm. One of
those side effects may be something that occurred in only two or three
people in the study population. But when you translate that into the general
population and long-term use, the numbers could become something quite
different. I believe we won't really know what the full effects of these
insulin are for twenty or thirty years. And to get the real picture, we need
to wait and see what happens in the children of people who used these
insulins since they themselves were children.
I thought a lot about long-term effects before I started using humalog. I
first got a bottle of humalog in 98, so it was quite new. The hospital I was
in didn't even prescribe it: my DSN had a sample bottle she passed to me to
use if I wanted. I read articles on it at the time, and I wasn't convinced
because there was no long-term information and no possibility of long-term
information. I kept the bottle in the fridge.
My body convinced me to use humalog more regularly. I was getting pins and
needles in my toes despite ok blood sugars and a decent A1c. I started using
humalog to lower high blood sugars instead of Soluble insulin (the Lilly
equivalent to Actrapid). The pins and needles went away. So I added humalog
into my insulin regime for fast-acting carbs and very high BGs.
When I went on the pump I decided I'd take full advantage of it and use
humalog instead of a short-acting insulin with a longer profile. I also
chose not to fight the insulin battle with my clinic: I was very determined
to get a pump, I was their first or second pumper, and there was no way they
were going to let me put an unbuffered insulin through my pump. So I got the
pump and four years later I'm still using humalog. But I have a soluble pen
to use as my 'long-acting' insulin if I have pump problems. It's hard to
remember to inject every five hours!
I am not at all surprised that there are cancer concerns in relation to
these insulins. Despite all the fine words, regulatory bodies, and clinical
protocols, the precautionary principle does not apply to medicines. If it
did, humalog and the rest would still be in clinical trials to see what the
long-term effects are. Long-term to me means 2-3 generations: it does not
mean five years. We do not know where we're leaping, especially with genetic
engineering. Obviously I want the tight control and reduced complications
that we all want. But I don't want that if it means I add to my managable
disease something more serious.
I'll shut up now.
elizabeth
dxed Dec 97, pump since Apr 00
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