Novo Nordisk reported today that they will stop development of oral insulins. It is an amazing statement about medication development. The statement also announces that Novo will continue pursuing Oral GLP-1 products.
http://asweetlife.org/news/novo-nordisk-drops-oral-insulin-development-projects/
I was more surprised to hear they were still researching oral insulin than to hear they’re giving up on it
I didn’t even know that oral insulin was an idea. I imagine that right NOW my Novolog would taste like Band-Aids (because of the fragrance they add to it so you can tell if you’ve got a problem with leaking insulin).
I don’t think that smell is a fragrance that’s added, I think it’s just the smell of the preservatives used in the insulin.
I also didn’t know there was an oral insulin. I’m waiting for this supposedly faster-acting form of NovoRapid that’s in clinical trials now. My endocrinologist didn’t know if it would be all that much faster, but hopefully it’ll be a noticeable increase in speed!
I also didn’t know that Novo Nordisk was researching oral insulin. I have heard about successful trials of an oral product by Oramed Pharmaceuticals (an Israeli company). Last I heard, they were moving to Phase 3 trials.
I agree @Jen, I am looking forward to hear about progress on “NovoRapid” (or whatever they’d call it). I hope it is in fact faster-enough to be worthwhile. Some time back, I saw that Novo Nordisk had R&D on two “faster” rapid insulins, one faster than the other. I don’t know which is the one they’re trialing.
Oops - “NovoRapid” is just the name for “Novolog” in Canada and other countries. So they definitely wouldn’t call it that. I haven’t yet heard any proposed names.
Quite so. It’s a preservative called metacresol. That’s what you smell.