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January 4, 2004

Insulin

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Question from San Antonio, Texas. USA:

What in the world does NPH mean? Or what is it an abbreviation for? None of my medical books indicate any reference to this.

Answer:

From: DTeam Staff

NPH stands for neutral protamine Hagedorn (Hagedorn is the inventor). NPH is an intermediate acting insulin that starts working about an hour after it is taken, peaks in maybe six to 10 hours and lasts maybe 18 hours. The time action is very variable which is why many people have switched to a longer acting background insulin (insulin glargine or Lantus).

JS