Inhaled Insulin: Within a Year?
by Rabih A. Hijazi, M.D.

A FDA advisory panel backed the approval of an insulin inhaler on September 8, 2005. The FDA usually follows the recommendations of its advisory committees, but is not required to.

If approved, it would represent the first major shift away from needles and syringes for millions of diabetics who must take daily injections to control glucose. The product works much like other inhalers by producing an insulin-powder cloud inhaled via a handheld plastic machine.

During drug trials, researchers found that inhaled insulin was generally as effective as injections in controlling blood sugar levels in Type 1 and 2 diabetics. Patient satisfaction and quality of life scales improved more favorably with inhaled insulin compared to subcutaneous therapy. However, some patients who took inhaled insulin complained of cough that decreased in severity over the treatment period.

"While the inhaled insulin could result in far fewer injections for some patients, to have people rush to this product and say 'I can throw away my syringes' is simply incorrect” says Dr. Rabih Hijazi of CMC. “The drug is a short-acting mealtime insulin and does not replace long-acting forms of insulin, so many will still have to use needles”.

“But, stay tuned!” adds Dr. Hijazi. “We are in the midst of a revolution in diabetes management”.