What options are available when considering starting insulin: premix or basal?

Several large studies in diabetes have shown that early initiation of intensive therapy is better for the prevention of long-term complications and suggest that patients with more advanced disease may be at increased risk of adverse cardiovascular events. Despite these findings, insulin initiation is often delayed in patients with type 2 diabetes, typically until A1C exceeds 8.5%. Barriers to the use of insulin are many, arising from both a patient and a physician perspective, and the decision to initiate insulin treatment can be influenced by cost, risk of hypoglycemia, convenience, and the potential for weight gain. Choosing when to initiate insulin and which insulin/treatment regimen to adopt in patients with type 2 diabetes is key, and the importance of tailoring treatment to the patient is widely acknowledged. However, there is currently no universal consensus on the optimal course of action. Once-daily basal insulin and twice-daily premix insulin are commonly used for insulin initiation. Relatively few studies have directly compared these starter treatment regimens, although general findings suggest that, although glycemic control appears to be similar with once-daily basal insulin and twice-daily premix, the lower hypoglycemia rates, lower weight gain, simplicity, and convenience associated with basal insulin support its first-line use as a starter insulin regimen in patients failing on oral antidiabetes agents. Variables such as age, body mass index, and bedtime or post-breakfast plasma glucose levels may alter the efficacy of the chosen treatment regimen, further supporting the need to tailor treatment to meet individual patient's requirements.