Indian-origin expert explains failure of first inhaled insulin product

Washington, September 24 (ANI): An Indian-origin expert at the University of Colorado Denver has shed light on why an inhaled insulin product turned out to be a commercial failure.

Dr. Satish K. Garg, a professor of Medicine and Pediatrics at the University of Colorado Denver, says that the results of a 2-year Phase 3 trial conducted in 385 patients suggest that AIR inhaled insulin was inferior to SC insulin in its ability to maintain optimal blood glucose levels over time, based on measurements of glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c).

Similarly, another study on 500 patients with type 1 diabetes showed inferiority of AIR in a 6-month trial.

"The question now remains whether this route of delivering insulin has been exhausted or if it still remains to be explored," writes Dr. Satish Garg, who is also the Editor-in-Chief of Diabetes Technology and Therapeutics, and William Kelly, from the University of Colorado Denver.

An editorial titled 'Insulin Delivery via Lungs-Is It Still Possible?' says that a company called MannKind Corporation has recently filed a New Drug Application with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for Technosphere Insulin.

It offers faster onset of action with lower postprandial blood glucose excursions especially in the first two hours and is weight neutral, according to the Editorial. (ANI)