Insulin lispro (Humalog), asparte
(Novorapid), and glulisine (Apidra) are all analogue insulin – they have
an altered molecular structure that allows rapid absorption following
subcutaneous injection.It starts to act within fi ve to 10 minutes. Peak
plasma concentrations occur at about 30 minutes after administration,
in contrast to short-acting insulins where the peak concentration occurs
between one to two hours. The half-life of rapid-acting insulin is also
shorter than short-acting insulin (one hour compared to 1.5). Rapid insulin
more closely mimics the post-prandial burst of secretion from beta cells.Neutral insulin (Actrapid and Humulin R) is a short-acting recombinant
human insulin. It starts to act within 30-60 minutes after subcutaneous
injection.