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History of Insulin Timeline

(1921–Present)

The history of insulin traces the breakthrough discovery that transformed diabetes from a fatal disease into a manageable condition, followed by major advances in purification, production, and delivery. Less

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Animal-derived insulin

Bovine insulin first treats humans

1922

Frederick Banting and Charles Best successfully used bovine insulin extract to treat humans for the first time, establishing insulin therapy as a practical treatment for diabetes.

Image source: Insulin

Bovine insulin first treats humans

Commercial bovine insulin production begins

1923

Eli Lilly and Company began commercial production of bovine insulin, making the newly developed treatment available on a wider scale.

Nordisk receives Danish production charter

1926

Nordisk received a Danish charter to produce insulin as a nonprofit entity, marking an important early step in the institutional development of insulin manufacturing.

Image source: Novo Nordisk

Nordisk receives Danish production charter

Zinc insulin mixture developed

1936

Canadian researchers D. M. Scott and A. M. Fisher developed a zinc insulin mixture. The formulation was licensed to Novo and helped establish longer-acting insulin preparations.

Protamine found to prolong insulin action

1936

Hans Christian Hagedorn discovered that adding protamine to insulin could prolong its action by slowing absorption after injection.

Image source: NPH insulin

Protamine found to prolong insulin action

NPH insulin developed

1946

Neutral Protamine Hagedorn, or NPH, insulin was developed by adding protamine to insulin. The additive slowed absorption and extended insulin activity, creating an intermediate-acting preparation.

NPH insulin marketed by Nordisk

1950

Nordisk began marketing NPH insulin, bringing the protamine-based intermediate-acting formulation into broader clinical use.

Lente insulin developed

1953

Novo developed Lente insulin by adding zinc to porcine and bovine insulins, producing a longer-acting formulation.

Image source: Lente insulin

Lente insulin developed

Recombinant human insulin

Recombinant human insulin biosynthesis developed

1978

Genentech developed the biosynthesis of recombinant human insulin using Escherichia coli bacteria and recombinant DNA technology, a major transition away from reliance on animal pancreases.

Image source: Recombinant DNA

Recombinant human insulin biosynthesis developed

Porcine insulin converted into human insulin

1981

Novo chemically and enzymatically converted porcine insulin into human insulin, providing another route to producing insulin structurally equivalent to human insulin.

Synthetic human insulin receives FDA approval

1982

Genentech's synthetic human insulin, produced in partnership with Eli Lilly, was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Image source: Insulin (medication)

Synthetic human insulin receives FDA approval

Humulin introduced

1983

Eli Lilly introduced its biosynthetic recombinant insulin under the brand name Humulin, expanding access to consistent human insulin.

Human insulin receptor sequenced

1985

Axel Ullrich sequenced the human insulin receptor, significantly improving scientific understanding of how insulin interacts with cells and produces its biological effects.

Image source: Insulin receptor

Human insulin receptor sequenced

Novo produces recombinant human insulin

1988

By 1988, Novo was producing synthetic recombinant human insulin, further improving the availability and consistency of insulin supplies.

Biosimilars and research

Glucose-sensitive insulin research begins

1979

Research into glucose-sensitive insulin began, aiming to create insulin that could respond more effectively to fluctuations in blood sugar.

Global biologics market expands

2002 - 2020

The global market for biologic medicines, including insulin, grew from $46 billion in 2002 to $390 billion in 2020, representing 28% of the global pharmaceutical market.

Image source: Biopharmaceutical

Global biologics market expands

IQWiG evaluates short-acting analogues

2007

Germany's Institute for Quality and Cost Effectiveness in Health Care reported insufficient evidence that short-acting insulin analogues were superior to synthetic human insulin for adults with type 1 diabetes.

Image source: Insulin analogue

IQWiG evaluates short-acting analogues

Cochrane review finds fewer hypoglycemic events

2007 - 2020

A Cochrane meta-analysis, conducted in 2007 and updated in 2020, found that glargine and detemir treatment resulted in fewer cases of hypoglycemia than NPH insulin.

CADTH compares insulin treatments

2008

A Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health comparison concluded that insulin analogues did not demonstrate clinically significant differences from biosynthetic human insulin in glycemic control or adverse-reaction profiles.

BIL development discontinued

2015

Lilly discontinued development of BIL, a glucose-sensitive insulin candidate, because of concerns about development and an uncertain regulatory pathway.

U.S. biologics spending reaches $211 billion

2019 - 2024

In the United States, biologics represented 43% of drug expenditures and totaled $211 billion in 2019. Biosimilar spending was expected to rise from $5.2 billion in 2019 to nearly $27 billion by 2024.

Human insulin market valued

2020 - 2027

The global human insulin market was valued at $22.9 billion in 2020. The biosimilar insulin market stood at $2.3 billion and was projected to grow to $5.6 billion by 2027.

European biologics spending reaches $78.6 billion

2021

In Europe, biologics accounted for 34% of medicine spending, reaching US$78.6 billion in 2021, while the biosimilar market was valued at $8.8 billion.

First insulin biosimilar approved

Jul 2021

Insulin glargine-yfgn, marketed as Semglee, received FDA approval in July 2021 as the first approved insulin biosimilar. Approval was granted to Mylan, which had become part of Viatris after a 2020 merger.

Insulin glargine-aglr approved

Dec 2021

The FDA approved insulin glargine-aglr in December 2021. Eli Lilly produces and markets the biosimilar under the name Rezvoglar.

NNC2215 study published

Oct 16, 2024

A study on NNC2215 was published in Nature, describing its potential as a major advancement in diabetes treatment and highlighting the role of protein engineering in future medicine.

Oral insulin analogue remains in development

2025

ORMD-0801, an oral insulin analogue, remained in development by Oramed Pharmaceuticals as of 2025.

Image source: Oramed

Oral insulin analogue remains in development

Three biosimilar insulins available

2025

As of 2025, three commercially available biosimilar insulins were identified: insulin glargine-yfgn, insulin glargine-aglr, and insulin aspart-szjj.

Insulin aspart biosimilar approved

Feb 2025

The FDA approved insulin aspart-szjj, the first short-acting biosimilar insulin. It was created by Viatris.

Insulin analogues

Insulin lispro approved

1996

Eli Lilly's insulin lispro, marketed as Humalog among other names, became the first approved insulin analogue. It reverses the final lysine and proline residues on the C-terminal end of the B-chain and acts rapidly.

Image source: Insulin lispro

Insulin lispro approved

Insulin aspart approved

2000

Novo's insulin aspart was approved in 2000 and marketed as Novolog among other names. It has effects comparable to insulin lispro but carries a lower risk of nocturnal hypoglycemia.

Image source: Insulin aspart

Insulin aspart approved

Insulin glargine approved

2000

Insulin glargine, marketed as Lantus, was approved by the FDA and the European Medicines Agency. Its zinc-mediated hexamer aggregates after injection, producing slow insulin release.

Image source: Insulin glargine

Insulin glargine approved

Insulin glulisine approved

2004

Sanofi-Aventis received approval for insulin glulisine, marketed as Apidra, as a short-acting analogue intended to improve postprandial glucose control.

Image source: Insulin glulisine

Insulin glulisine approved

Insulin detemir approved

2005

Novo's insulin detemir was approved as Levemir. A C14 fatty acid modification at lysine B29 promotes di-hexamer formation and albumin binding, extending its duration.

Toujeo higher-concentration glargine introduced

2015

A 300 U/mL formulation of insulin glargine, marketed as Toujeo, was introduced. It offered up to 36 hours of coverage and a lower risk of nocturnal hypoglycemia.

Insulin degludec approved

2015

Novo's insulin degludec was approved by the FDA and marketed as Tresiba. It is an ultra-long-acting insulin analogue with a duration of up to 42 hours.

Image source: Insulin degludec

Insulin degludec approved

Insulin lispro-aabc approved

2020

Eli Lilly's faster insulin lispro formulation, insulin lispro-aabc, was approved in 2020.

Insulin icodec approved in Canada

Mar 2024

Insulin icodec was approved for medical use in Canada in March 2024. It is designed as a once-weekly, ultra-long-acting insulin analogue.

Insulin icodec approved in the European Union

May 2024

Following a recommendation from the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use, insulin icodec was approved for medical use in the European Union in May 2024.

Insulin icodec becomes newest analogue

2025

As of 2025, insulin icodec was identified as the newest and longest-acting insulin analogue. It was approved in 2024 and marketed by Novo as Awiqli.

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Key Facts

  1. In 1921, Frederick Banting and Charles Best isolated an extract from the pancreas that lowered blood glucose in diabetic dogs at the University of Toronto.
  2. James Collip purified insulin sufficiently for human use, and Leonard Thompson became the first person treated successfully with insulin in January 1922.
  3. The 1923 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to Banting and John Macleod for the discovery of insulin; they shared their prize money with Best and Collip.
  4. Insulin was initially extracted from the pancreases of cattle and pigs, but recombinant human insulin was developed using genetic engineering and introduced commercially in 1982.
  5. Modern insulin therapy includes rapid-, short-, intermediate-, and long-acting formulations, delivered through syringes, pens, pumps, and automated systems.

Source

This History of Insulin timeline was generated with the help of AI, using information found on the internet.

We work hard to keep these timelines accurate, but mistakes do get through. If you spot one, email us at [email protected] and we'll fix it for future visitors.

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