Whatever happened to inhalable insulin?

[Jon]

I heard a lot about insulin inhalers about a year ago, and it sounded promising. Then everybody stopped talking about them. Do they still exist? Do they work? Are they available? Last I heard they were only good for 3 unit increments, and only fast acting.

[Tony]

What I heard is that they do not taste good.

I would think that it is still in testing.

They are still doing tests on the inhaler because a patient on the Exubera experienced pulmonary fibrosis but it is one of those things where they couldn't prove he got it from the inhaler or just got it anyway...they feel by inhaling the insulin--it goes to the lungs and causes Major problems there. I wonder if it is for type I or type II. I'll just stick with the pump.

[Tony]

Inhale Therapeutic Systems (http://www.inhale.com/wt/news.php?pr_page_name=pr_1020353931)


Pfizer and Aventis are in Phase III study involving 328 patients with type 1 diabetes.

Studies have shown that 90 percent of a drug sprayed or inhaled through the mouth becomes deposited in the pharynx rather than reaching the lungs.


Aradigm and Novo Nordisk are in Phase II study. But are ready for phase III. They say works just as good as insulin.


Alkermes and Eli Lilly are also working on inhale Insulin.

[Kenneth]

Hello, I live in NC and there have been adds in our local paper where in Chapel Hill they are looking for people with diabetes to use the inhalable insulin for testing.So I think it is still in the works the testing says it will take two years.I think they are studying the long term affects of the inhalable.