Pharmacological properties : תכונות פרמקולוגיות

Pharmacodynamic Properties

5.1   Pharmacodynamic properties

Pharmacotherapeutic group: Drugs used in diabetes. Insulins and analogues for injection, fast-acting.
ATC code: A10AB05.

Mechanism of action and pharmacodynamic effects
The blood glucose lowering effect of insulin aspart is due to the facilitated uptake of glucose following binding of insulin to receptors on muscle and fat cells and to the simultaneous inhibition of glucose output from the liver.


NovoRapid IL SPC FEB-2021-NOTIFICATION                                                        EMA SmpC NovoRapid produces a more rapid onset of action compared to soluble human insulin, together with a lower glucose concentration, as assessed within the first four hours after a meal. NovoRapid has a shorter duration of action compared to soluble human insulin after subcutaneous injection.
Blood glucose (mmol/l)



Time (h)
Fig. I. Blood glucose concentrations following a single pre-meal dose of NovoRapid injected immediately before a meal (solid curve) or soluble human insulin administered 30 minutes before a meal (hatched curve) in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus.

When NovoRapid is injected subcutaneously, the onset of action will occur within 10 to 20 minutes of injection. The maximum effect is exerted between 1 and 3 hours after injection. The duration of action is 3 to 5 hours.

Clinical efficacy

Clinical trials in patients with type 1 diabetes have demonstrated a lower postprandial blood glucose with NovoRapid compared to soluble human insulin (Fig. I). In two long-term open label trials in patients with type 1 diabetes comprising 1070 and 884 patients, respectively, NovoRapid reduced glycated haemoglobin by 0.12 [95% C.I. 0.03; 0.22] percentage points and by 0.15 [95% C.I. 0.05; 0.26] percentage points compared to human insulin; a difference of limited clinical significance.

Clinical trials in patients with type 1 diabetes have demonstrated a reduced risk of nocturnal hypoglycaemia with insulin aspart compared with soluble human insulin. The risk of daytime hypoglycaemia was not significantly increased.

Insulin aspart is equipotent to soluble human insulin on a molar basis.

Special populations

Elderly (≥ 65 years old)
A randomised, double-blind cross-over PK/PD trial comparing insulin aspart with soluble human insulin was performed in elderly patients with type 2 diabetes (19 patients aged 65-83 years, mean age 70 years). The relative differences in the pharmacodynamic properties (GIRmax,AUCGIR, 0-120 min) between insulin aspart and soluble human insulin in the elderly were similar to those seen in healthy subjects and in younger patients with diabetes.
NovoRapid IL SPC FEB-2021-NOTIFICATION                                                       EMA SmpC Paediatric population
A clinical trial comparing preprandial soluble human insulin with postprandial insulin aspart was performed in small children (20 patients aged 2 to less than 6 years, studied for 12 weeks, among those four were younger than 4 years old) and a single dose PK/PD trial was performed in children (6- 12 years) and adolescents (13-17 years). The pharmacodynamic profile of insulin aspart in children was similar to that seen in adults.

The efficacy and safety of NovoRapid given as bolus insulin in combination with either insulin detemir or insulin degludec as basal insulin has been studied for up to 12 months, in two randomised controlled clinical trials in adolescents and children aged 1 to less than 18 years (n=712). The trials included 167 children aged 1-5 years, 260 aged 6-11 and 285 aged 12-17. The observed improvements in HbA1c and the safety profiles were comparable between all age groups.

Pregnancy
A clinical trial comparing safety and efficacy of insulin aspart vs. human insulin in the treatment of pregnant women with type 1 diabetes (322 exposed pregnancies (insulin aspart: 157; human insulin: 165)) did not indicate any adverse effect of insulin aspart on pregnancy or on the health of the foetus/newborn.
In addition the data from a clinical trial including 27 women with gestational diabetes randomised to treatment with insulin aspart vs. human insulin (insulin aspart: 14; human insulin: 13) showed similar safety profiles between treatments.

Pharmacokinetic Properties

5.2   Pharmacokinetic properties

Absorption, distribution and elimination
In NovoRapid substitution of amino acid proline with aspartic acid at position B28 reduces the tendency to form hexamers as observed with soluble human insulin. NovoRapid is therefore more rapidly absorbed from the subcutaneous layer compared to soluble human insulin.

The time to maximum concentration is, on average, half of that for soluble human insulin. A mean maximum plasma concentration of 492±256 pmol/l was reached 40 (interquartile range: 30–40) minutes after a subcutaneous dose of 0.15 unit/kg bodyweight in type 1 diabetic patients. The insulin concentrations returned to baseline about 4 to 6 hours after dose. The absorption rate was somewhat slower in type 2 diabetic patients, resulting in a lower Cmax (352±240 pmol/l) and later tmax (60 (interquartile range: 50–90) minutes). The intra-individual variability in time to maximum concentration is significantly less for NovoRapid than for soluble human insulin, whereas the intra- individual variability in Cmax for NovoRapid is larger.

Special populations

Elderly (≥ 65 years old)
The relative differences in pharmacokinetic properties between insulin aspart and soluble human insulin in elderly patients (65-83 years, mean age 70 years) with type 2 diabetes were similar to those observed in healthy subjects and in younger patients with diabetes. A decreased absorption rate was observed in elderly patients, resulting in a later tmax (82 (interquartile range: 60-120) minutes), whereas Cmax was similar to that observed in younger patients with type 2 diabetes and slightly lower than in patients with type 1 diabetes.

Hepatic impairment
A single dose pharmacokinetic study of insulin aspart was performed in 24 subjects with hepatic function ranging from normal to severely impaired. In patients with hepatic impairment, absorption rate was decreased and more variable, resulting in delayed tmax from about 50 min in subjects with normal hepatic function to about 85 min in patients with moderate and severe hepatic impairment.
NovoRapid IL SPC FEB-2021-NOTIFICATION                                                          EMA SmpC AUC, Cmax and CL/F were similar in patients with reduced hepatic function compared with subjects with normal hepatic function.

Renal impairment
A single dose pharmacokinetic study of insulin aspart in 18 subjects with renal function ranging from normal to severely impaired was performed. No apparent effect of creatinine clearance values on AUC, Cmax, CL/F and tmax of insulin aspart was found. Data were limited in patients with moderate and severe renal impairment. Patients with renal failure necessitating dialysis treatment were not investigated.

Paediatric population
The pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties of NovoRapid were investigated in children (6–12 years) and adolescents (13–17 years) with type 1 diabetes. Insulin aspart was rapidly absorbed in both age groups, with similar tmax as in adults. However, Cmax differed between the age groups, stressing the importance of the individual titration of NovoRapid.