Hey…, how are you doing guys?
I’ve been hearing about some advancements regarding treatment of diabetes type 1. Have you got information about it? Some of my friends told me they were watching TV, and acknowledge that there is a way to eliminate syringes in the administration of insulin. Do you know something about it? Or this is just another never-ending investigation about this matter.
Best regards,
Carlos Guerra
Venezuela
I use an insulin pump to administer insulin. Is that what they were talking about, maybe? Check out the Insulin Pump Forum, and you can learn all about them! It’s not really a ‘new’ treatment, it’s just another way to get the insulin in you.
Hi Karen. No, they were talking about a new oral treatment. Some way to put the insulin in you, without the use of a syringe or a pump (I know insulin pumps). Some kind of pills or inhaled treatment. I’ve been doing a lot of research about this investigations, and always I found myself with the same ending story: “there’s still a lot to do to get the solution”.
One of my dreams, and I guess most of types 1, regarding diabetes treatment is to eliminate the use of the syringes without putting our diabetes control in jeopardy.
Thanks for your answer and interest.
There is an inhaled insulin approved to sell in India currently, but not available in the US yet. I forget the manufacturer, but they are the same company that makes the glucose inhaler, I think it is called Glucose RapidSpray or something like that. I think India is the test market and they are evaluating for other markets after.
Most of the commercials you have to listen to very carefully. It is kind of like the meters that you do not have to prick your fingers with. You still have to prick your skin you just do not have to use your fingers. Most non-diabetics to not know about alternate sites that you can test you blood.
How about insulin pens? You would not have to use syringes.
Hi Marina,
I knew there is an inhaled insulin. Last I heard is that the treatment failed in some phase of the approvement period performed by regulators agencies. I do not have the exact information, but maybe that is the answer I was looking for. I’ll investigate more deeply about inhaled insulin to find out if the treatment finally success.
I’ll let you know.
Thanks a lot.
Carlos
Yes, I’ve been using insulin pens for a while. It is almost the same as using a syringe. It is just more confortable to carry on.
Best regards,
Carlos
i was involved in a study with the insulin inhaler. the study was nationwide so i did not get to meet anyone on the inhaler. half of the type 1 diabetics went on the inhaler and the other half continued their regular routine. unfortunately i was randomly choosen to stay on my regular routine (i wanted to give my poor injection sights a break after 17 years). the study went on for about 3 years. everything was going really well with it from what i understand. throughout the study they checked our lung and breathing capacity every three months. they stopped the study a few years short not because it was harmful but because they did not have the money to continue the study because not enough people were purchasing it that weren’t on the study. so it was approved in the usa. my nurse did tell me that their were a few people that developed lung cancer while on the inhaler but these people also smoked. from what i understand they are still working on it and still trying to get more funds.
Check out the ‘iport’ maybe?
Check out the web site joshualevy.com “Diabetes Cures”. He keeps track of all trials, what phase the trial is in. And lists the most promising. Nothing immediately available except for the newly diagnosed. But you can find out the projected timeframes on his site, as well as links to research papers, etc. Thanks, Joshua!
If you are asking about administration of insulin, Generex has permission to market Oral-lyn (which is absorbed through the mucous membranes of the mouth) in Ecuador, India and parts of the Middle East. It is not inhaled insulin, it is orally administered.
Generex Biotechnology (GNBT) is the company that makes and sells Oral-lyn, a liquid insulin that is sprayed in the mouth and absorbed by the bucchal cells lining the cheeks. It is not inhaled into the lungs. It was first tested and approved in Ecquador. So Carlos, if you can get to Ecquador you can buy it. It is now being sold and tested in India where I think it will be shown to be an effective and easy way to control post prandial spikes in blood sugar in both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetics.
Mannkind (MNKD) is the company that is still working on the development of inhaled insulin that works by inhaling into the lungs. Recently they purchased the plant from Pfizer that was making the insulin for Exubera. The inhaled insulin product is being tested now and reports are that it has many improvements and benefits over the Pfizer Exubera.
There are companies that are working on the development of other delivery systems including patches which require new molecuar structures of insulin.
There are a few other companies working on the development of new types of insulin with features and benefits like faster acting, shorter duration of activity, etc. I would like to see a rapid insulin that does not cause hypoglycemia which is the biggest downside to insulin therapy.
There is so much going on in diabetes research and development today in the industrial world where companies are looking for new products for treatment of the disease that can be sold for a profit and the academic world where the R&D is focused on finding a cure. Final word, Support Research to Find a Cure.