To print: Select File and then Print from your browser's menu --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Title: EASD: Inhaled Insulin as Effective as Subcutaneous Injection in Type I Diabetics URL: http://www.pslgroup.com/dg/21C906.htm Doctor's Guide September 2, 2002
By Emma Hitt Special to DG News BUDAPEST, HUNGARY -- September 2, 2002 - An inhaled form of insulin called Oralin, taken at meal time, appears to control glucose and insulin levels as effectively as subcutaneously injected insulin in type I diabetics, according to new research The RapidMist inhaler is used to deliver the Oralin liquid aerosol formulation, allowing a precise insulin dose directly the mouth. According to Dr. Pankaj Modi, Director of Research and Development at Generex, the biggest challenge in the development of inhaled insulin has been to overcome the problem of gastric enzymes, which can make absorption erratic. To overcome this problem, Dr. Modi and colleagues made the formmulation rapidly absorbable, "in a consistent manner and comparable to the subcutaneous injection," from the buccal mucosa. "Advantages of Oralin," Dr. Modi told Doctor's Guide,"are that it is pain-free, needle-free, easy to administer, and does not require refrigeration." A disadvatage is that "like all other pulmonary delivery systems requires 7-to 10-fold dose of insulin compared to subcutanoeus injection insulin," he said. Presenting their findings Monday (September 2) at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD), in Budapest, Hungary, the researchers evaluated the efficacy of the Oralin spray, 20 puffs taken without NPH insulin, in 30 type 1 diabetic patients. Patients in the single-blind, randomized, crossover study ate a standard breakfast and then took the Oralin spray via the RapidMist device or received subcutaneous injection (nine units). They then ate a 360-calorie liquid meal 15 minutes later. The onset action of Oralin appeared to be faster than that of injected insulin and reached its peak level at 30 minutes, the researchers report. In addition, the rise in serum insulin concentrations after Oralin treatment was significantly higher than after injection. After 120 mins, mean glucose levels was 218 mg/dL after Oralin compared to 229 mg/dL after injection. Insulin levels were comparable also; 55 after Oralin and 57 microU/mL after injection. "Oralin spray at meal time controlled glucose levels in a comparable manner to subcutaneously injected insulin," and "proved to be efficient in controlling meal induced glucose excursion in Type-1 diabetics," the reserachers conclude. "So far, we have dosed over 800 diabetic patients in our long term and short term trials in North America and Europe, and we have not observed any adverse events related to the drug," Dr. Modi said. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright © 1999 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of P\S\L content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of P\S\L. P\S\L shall not be liable for any errors, omissions or delays in this content or any other content on its sites, newsletters or other publications, nor for any decisions or actions taken in reliance on such content. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This news story was printed from *Doctor's Guide to the Internet* located at http://www.docguide.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Return to News Story Page This site is maintained by webmaster@pslgroup.com Please contact us with any comments, problems or bugs. All contents Copyright (c) 1998 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved.