Breakthrough Inhalable Drug for Diabetes

An inhalable form of insulin has been found in clinical trials to be as effective as insulin injections and to improve blood sugar control when added to diabetes pills. The new drug has been cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Called Exubera, the drug is the first insulin medication that does not need to be administered by injection. It is a rapid-acting dry powder insulin that is inhaled through the mouth into the lungs prior to eating, by using an inhaler. The inhaler produces in its chamber a cloud of insulin powder, designed to pass rapidly into the bloodstream to regulate the body's blood-sugar levels. The drug was developed by Pfizer, Inc. (New York, NY, USA), in combination with Nektar Therapeutics (San Carlos, CA, USA), and can be used to control both type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

"Exubera is a major, first-of-its-kind medical breakthrough that marks another critical step forward in the treatment of diabetes, a disease that has taken an enormous human and economic toll worldwide,” noted Hank McKinnell, chairman and CEO of Pfizer. "Exubera meets a critical need by offering a highly effective and needle-free alternative to diabetes pills and insulin injections to manage this complicated, debilitating disease.”

The efficacy and safety profile of Exubera were studied in more than 2,500 adults with type 1 or type 2 diabetes for an average of 20 months. In clinical trials, patients using the drug reported greater treatment satisfaction than patients taking insulin by injection. In patients with type 2 diabetes, Exubera can be used alone as an alternative to rapid-acting insulin injections or diabetes pills, or in combination with diabetes pills or longer-acting insulin. In patients with type 1 diabetes, Exubera will be used in combination with longer-acting insulin.





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Nektar Therapeutics