Impact of Introducing Basaglar Insulin to the Treatment Regimen of Youth With Diabetes in Pakistan

Analog insulins are widely used in middle- and high-income countries. However, use of analog insulin remains limited in lower-income countries due to their increased cost and lack of access, and human insulin remains the mainstay of treatment in these settings. Long-acting (basal) analog insulin such as glargine have the benefit of a longer duration (up to 24 hours) and a minimal peak action, and generally, only one injection per day is required. Although glargine insulin has been shown to reduce the risk of overnight hypoglycemia, consistent improvement in blood glucose control (measured by HbA1c) when compared to human insulin has not been shown, and its impact on quality of life is also inconclusive. Furthermore, these studies have all been done in highly resourced countries. Life for a Child (LFAC) provides diabetes supplies (insulin, syringes, meters and strips for blood glucose self-monitoring), diabetes-related education, mentoring and technical support to the team managing youth with type 1 diabetes (T1D) managed at Baqai Institute of Diabetology and Endocrinology (BIDE) in Karachi, Pakistan. In 2022, LFAC commenced supplying Basaglar (glargine) insulin with insulin pen devices (HumaPen Ergo ll). This provided a unique opportunity to investigate the effect of introducing glargine (Basaglar) insulin in the low resource setting of Pakistan.