Afezza is insulin inhaled
Mannkind Corporation
Inhaled insulin helps control blood glucose levels in children with type 1 diabetes as effectively as injected versions of hormone drugs. Inhaled powder, called Afrezza, is already available in adults with type 1 or type 2 diabetes in the US, and the manufacturer currently plans to apply for approval for the child.
Type 1 diabetes occurs when the body is unable to produce the low-glycemia hormone insulin. People with this condition usually need to take insulin as a drug daily via injection. However, blood sugar levels can still be difficult to control, especially when you tend to spike after eating, or when you can fall after exercise.
Michael Haller of the University of Florida is on Affresa's advisory board, and his colleagues wondered if he was inhaling insulin, which can improve glycemic control in adults by acting more rapidly than injected insulin. To find them, they recruited 230 people, ages 4 to 17. Most participants had type 1 diabetes, but they had type 2 diabetes and needed insulin to manage their condition.
All children were given basal insulin. This is always injected once or twice a day to ensure that there are low levels of hormones in the body. Rapid acting insulin is usually required in addition to this before meals. In the 26-week exam, some children received Afflezza as a rapidly acting insulin, while others had injectable insulin.
Researchers found that both formulations work equally well, comparable to blood glucose control. The results were presented at the American Diabetes Association Conference in Chicago in June.
“This assumes that this is better insulin due to the delivery method and certainly can cause a lot of stress for needle phobia patients,” says Haller. “But even more importantly, it is to give patients additional tools to their toolbox for managing highly complex illnesses.”
The inhaled version coughed more than the injected version, but dissipated once participants were used to it. afrezza is not suitable for people with long-term lung problems like asthma.
Kathryn Sampter from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis says that inhaled insulin is suitable for children with diabetes, such as forgetting to take hormones before eating, is necessary, especially rapidly acting formulas. However, she believes that most could stick to the injected formulation. This is especially useful for small children who need a smaller amount of insulin, as they can be titrated more accurately.
Mannkind Corporation, the company that manufactures Afrezza, plans to apply for regulatory approval for use in children in the United States, Haller said.
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