Developments in Brief : Drug Firm Reports Problems With Insulin

A form of insulin made through genetic engineering techniques can apparently lose its potency and fail to properly control diabetics’ blood sugar levels, the manufacturer announced.

Eli Lilly & Co. of Indianapolis said it has received reports of at least 301 vials of Humulin N insulin with the problem and calculated that it may occur in one in every 30,000 vials.

Although the cause is unclear, it appears the problem may stem from a lack of zinc in the substance and the company has taken steps to change the manufacturing process to alleviate the problem, company officials said.

“The information gathered from patients suggests that heat and agitation associated with carrying insulin vials in pockets or purses may contribute to the problem,” the officials said in a letter published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

The company has included warnings with the product to alert patients not to use the insulin if they notice unusual “frosting” on the vials that accompanies the loss of potency, they said.