Short answer: Both are 70/30 premixed insulins, typically injected twice daily, each dose covering 2 meals or a meal and a snack. NovoLog Mix 70/30 is insulin aspart based, injected within 15 minutes before a meal, for adults.1 Novolin 70/30 is human NPH and regular insulin, injected about 30 minutes before a meal, for adults and children.2 Neither label compares the two.
| NovoLog Mix 70/30 | Novolin 70/30 | |
|---|---|---|
| What is in it | 70% insulin aspart protamine, 30% insulin aspart1 | 70% NPH (insulin isophane human), 30% regular human insulin2 |
| Who | Adults with diabetes1 | Adults and children with diabetes2 |
| When | Within 15 minutes before a meal; in type 2, may also be after the meal starts1 | About 30 minutes before a meal2 |
| Mixing a FlexPen | Roll 10 times, then turn upside down 10 times1 | Move up and down 20 times2 |
| In-use storage | Vial 28 days; FlexPen 14 days1 | Vial 42 days up to 77°F; FlexPen 28 days up to 86°F2 |
| Low blood sugar in label trials | 69% in type 1 and 47% in type 2 over 3 months, no comparator group1 | Most common reaction; no rate given2 |
| Missed dose | No rule in the label1 | No rule in the label2 |
| Boxed warning | None1 | None2 |
Both are cloudy suspensions mixed right before use, and both vials are rolled gently 10 times. Neither is given into a vein, used in a pump or mixed with other insulins, and the fixed 70/30 split does not allow separate basal and mealtime changes.12 The Novolin 70/30 label says its effect begins about 30 minutes after a dose and lasts up to 24 hours.2 The warnings are the usual insulin set: low blood sugar, low potassium, allergy, mix-ups between insulins and heart failure with pioglitazone-type drugs.12
Which, if either, fits is for your prescriber. More detail: NovoLog Mix 70/30 side effects, Novolin 70/30 side effects, the NovoLog Mix 70/30 and Novolin 70/30 dosing schedules, the insulin aspart and NPH insulin guides, and Humalog Mix75/25 vs NovoLog Mix 70/30: how do the premixed insulins differ?.