Inhaled Insulin Shows Benefit Over Injected Insulin

A study has found that more patients with type 2 diabetes who were treated with inhaled insulin achieved the recommended blood glucose levels than patients who received only injections of insulin.

The six-month phase III study involved 299 patients with type 2 diabetes. Patients received either injections of insulin alone or an inhaled form (called Exubera) prior to meals plus an insulin injection at bedtime. More patients taking Exubera achieved HBA1c levels that were less than 7% than patients taking insulin injections. The HBA1c level reflects blood glucose readings over a period of several months. A level of 7% is the treatment goal recommended by the American Diabetes Association. Patients who received Exubera showed an improvement in blood glucose levels that were equivalent to patients who took insulin injections. Additionally, fewer patients in the Exubera group experienced hypoglycemia compared to patients taking injections. The most common respiratory clinical side effect reported was cough, characterized as mild to moderate.

Exubera is being developed for diabetic patients through a collaboration between Pfizer, Inc. (New York, NY, USA; www.pfizer.com) and Aventis Pharma (Frankfurt, Germany; www.aventis.com). The two companies have entered into a global agreement to co-develop, co-promote, and co-manufacture inhaled insulin.

"Despite the proven long-term benefits of tight glycemic control achieved by insulin, there is a reluctance on the part of patients and physicians to treat type 2 diabetes with insulin,” said Priscilla A. Hollander, M.D., medical director, Baylor University Medical Center (Dallas, TX, USA), and lead investigator. "Our data suggest that Exubera may lead to earlier introduction of insulin therapy in type 2 diabetes based on patients' acceptance and improved glycemic control.”




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