I don’t find Apidra to have a short tail. My DIA is set to four hours, which is the same as it was for Humalog. I’m hoping the new insulin is shorter.
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That is why we love Apidra, with Novolog we found the tail made it tough for corrections.
For me, Apidra has a much shorter tail than Novolog. That’s actually one of the attractions.
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I found this chart of Fiasp pharmacokinetics published by the European Medicines Agency. It pertains to insulin pump use. (CSII = continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion)
You can see the slice of the chart that defines the difference between Fiasp and NovoRapid (aka Novolog to we Yanks) curves as a product of time and blood glucose level that’s shifted to earlier in the “area under the curve,” a desirable attribute. This is a significant advantage. Fiasp’s faster peak and much larger volume of insulin available in the first 30 minutes over NovoRapid makes it a better match to real world food curves.
This is an attractive option. I will watch and await its arrival in the US while I follow the experience of the original poster in his UK Diabettech blog.
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I took @Terry4’s chart and did an extremely lazy (i.e. not overly accurate) integration under the two charts, normalized it, and got this…
So while we talk about length of tail being similar to Novolog/rapid, there definitely is less insulin sitcking around in the tail which is a good thing.
(Friendly Disclaimer: Note this is not an insulin duration curve but is a crude approximation of a duration curve out to 5 hours based on the chart to compare the two insulins. The 0% at 5 hours does not mean there is 0 insulin, it is just the end of the chart. Corrections welcome 
)
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That’s essentially what you see in use too. The reduced amount of insulin available in the tail is noticeable in the way it effects your glucose levels later on, but it has an unexpected corollary which is that at larger doses, the tail seems longer as a result.
“…two excipients have been added, Vitamin B3 (niacinamide) to increase the speed of absorption, and a naturally occurring Amino Acid (L-Arginine) for stability.9”
I already take B3… how much impact if I were to try Fiasp?
I’m kinda torn. Part of me wants to try it, part of me wants to wait longer.
Pop over to Canada, pay $36.95 and try it out!. Not sure that additional B3 supplement will make a huge amount of difference in all fairness
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Just checked with my Endo. Apparently Fiasp will come up for consideration by NHS Scotland at the meeting in April, so I am going to have to wait a month or so.
Booo!
Great conversation, thanks! Looking forward to seeing this in the US. Or perhaps I’ll order from Canada- less expensive there than what I’m paying for Novolog here…
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Just sorted a prescription via my consultant, will give it a test next week.
Quite excited!
These are my views after a week of using it.
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Thank you so much for the detailed report about your experience with #Fiasp and #OpenAPS, looks awesome!
Cheers Tim, exciting stuff.
Greet stuff @tim2000s
Fiasp comes up at the Scottish Medicines Committee on 10th April and I should be getting some soon after.
I had a look on the website of the Canadian pharmacy who distributes Omnipods in Canada and they are now selling Fiasp! So it definitely is available for purchase in Canada. (I did not post a link because I am not sure if it is allowed.)
It is $1.74 cheaper than Novorapid (Novolog) for 5 x 3 ml penfills. That is a pleasant surprise.
I am very tempted to order some now, but will probably wait for my endo appointment in a few weeks to get a prescription to make sure the insurance company is happy. [NOTE: Unlike the US, where it seems you need a prescription for even a CGM, all diabetic stuff including insulin, is available in Canada over the counter. You only need a prescription (sometimes) to keep the insurance company happy.]
Hello All -
Question re Fiasp and Canadian pharmacy that I am hoping someone has some insight. I live in Michigan and my work brings me near Canadian border. I would like to go into Canada and pick up some Fiasp. My questions:
- is a prescription needed for Fiasp?
- will US based insurance company (Blue Cross Blue Shield )provide coverage (either directly at Canadian pharmacy or through mail submission by me or would
This be a cash pay no coverage situation?
Anyone have any insights they can share?
Thanks in advance! 35 years with type 1 and I have grown impatient waiting for these great developments that are just beginning to actually emerge.
You can buy it right over the counter in Canada for about $33 Canadian per 10ml vial. No prescription needed for any insulin here!
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Thanks for sharing that info Scott - great news! Sault Sainte Marie Ontario see you soon.
Or about 24 USD, amazing. And amazing we Yanks can’t figure out how to pay less for insulin.