Diabetes Health Center
Inhaled Insulin
Researchers, doctors, and people with diabetes agree that injected insulin works well for managing the disease. They will also likely say that delivering insulin through something other than a needle would be even better. The best option - insulin in a pill - is not feasible because the insulin would be destroyed by stomach acids.
Inhaled insulin is another option that’s been considered. Although it’s possible to make inhaled insulin, there are no inhaled insulin drugs on the market.
How Inhaled Insulin Works
The idea of inhaling insulin has been around for decades. However, it wasn’t until the 1990s that researchers made it possible. First, insulin is made into a powder form. Insulin particles are delivered through an inhaler much like the type used by people with asthma. The powder is then inhaled into the lungs and enters the bloodstream through tiny blood vessels.
Inhaled Insulin and Exubera
The FDA approved the first inhaled insulin, called Exubera, in September 2006. People who have either type 1 or type 2 diabetes could use Exubera.
The drug’s maker, Pfizer, took Exubera off the market in October 2007 for financial reasons. The drug was expensive and didn’t seem to catch on with patients. In 2008, the FDA also expressed concern that Exubera could be linked to lung toxicities and lung cancer.
The Future of Inhaled Insulin
The failure of Exubera hasn’t ended the quest for inhaled insulin. There are four inhaled insulins for type 1 diabetes in various stages of development and three designed for adults with type 1 or type 2 diabetes.
The most advanced type is called Afresa and is made by MannKind Corp. Afresa was submitted to the FDA for approval in March 2009. Afresa is a rapid-acting mealtime insulin that reduces the increase in blood sugars after a meal.
Studies have shown that Afresa, in combination with regular insulin, controls blood sugars as well as other conventional therapies with significantly less weight gain or dangerous drops in blood sugar.
WebMD Medical Reference
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