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April 25, 2005

Inhaled Insulin Said to Be 'Safe' and 'Effective'

Test results presented at the Diabetes UK annual conference in Glasgow showed that for people with Type 2 diabetes already on tablets, inhaled insulin gave better blood glucose control than taking more tablets as treatment.

Among patients with Type 1 diabetes, four years of inhaled insulin treatment combined with a daily long-lasting insulin injection was shown to be effective, with no serious side effects:

Douglas Smallwood, chief executive of Diabetes UK, said: "Since insulin was discovered in the 1920s, injections have been the only option. That can be difficult for some people.

"Many attempts have been made to come up with new treatments and at last we appear to be close to
success," he said.

"While it will not be suitable for everyone this could make a real difference to the daily lives of many people with diabetes."

Pfizer and Sanofi-Aventis Group were seeking approval to market Exubera, their inhaled insulin powder, from both the European Medicines Evaluation Agency and the US Food and Drug Administration, Pfizer said.

Posted by Diabetologica at April 25, 2005 6:49 AM