Eli Lilly Canada Inc.
Customer Response Centre
3650 Danforth Avenue
Toronto, Ontario M1N 2FR
1-888-345-5972 Fax 1-888-898-2961
Telephone 416-693-3510
February 16, 2001
Dear Health Care Professional:
It has been brought to our attention that there may be some confusion regarding the availability of animal source insulin in Canada. As you may know, there were originally two forms of animal insulin: beef-pork and purified pork insulin. While beef/pork insulin was removed from the market a few years ago, Eli Lilly Canada continues to market Iletin II (purified pork insulin) and we have no plans at this time to discontinue the product.
The vast majority of patients taking insulin in Canada are on human insulin. In fact, of all insulin sales and prescriptions dispensed in Canada, animal insulins account for 0.2 per cent of insulin sales and 04 per cent of insulin prescriptions.1 Lilly’s Launch of Humulin~ in 1983 was seen as a breakthrough in insulin technology, as the Humulin molecule is structurally identical to the body’s natural insulin which a.re different from animal source insulin. In the many clinical trials diaL have been conducted arid th0 thousands of paticuL-ycars ctperiena~ since the launch, Humulin has been shown to be a safe and efficacious product in the treatment of diabetes.
We are proud of our historic connections to diabetes management and insulin. From bringing the first commercially available insulin preparations in the world in the 1920’s, to the launch of the first biosynthetic human insulin, Humulin in 1983. And most recently, we pioneered the development of faster acting insulin analogues such as Humalogâ and Humalog Mix25.
Lilly Customer Response Center (1-888-545.5972) is available should ynu or your patients have any additional questions regarding human insulin or the availability of Iletin II (purified pork insulin).
Sincerely,