Inhaled insulin

doi:10.1136/bmj.332.7549.1043

BMJ 2006;332:1043-1044 (6 May), doi:10.1136/bmj.332.7549.1043

Editorial

Inhaled insulin

Added to oral agents, it may eventually replace injections

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

In January 2006 the US Food and Drug Administration approvedthe first inhalable insulin preparation for treatment of types1 and 2 diabetes mellitus. This preparation, marketed by Pfizer,is a dry, powdered, human, regular insulin that is made intoan aerosol mechanically by a handheld device at the time ofinhalation. The powder is prepackaged in 1 mg foil packets thatdeliver 3 units of insulin and 3 mg packets that deliver 9 units.Because one unit of subcutaneous insulin corresponds to about30 µg insulin, the activity of inhaled insulin is onlyabout 10% of injected insulin on a weight basis.

This "inefficiency" in comparison to subcutaneous insulin bringsup the reproducibility of dosing. Firstly, in clinical trialsthe overall incidence of hypoglycaemia seems comparable withinhaled and subcutaneous insulin when comparable levels of glycaemiccontrol are obtained. However, severe hypoglycaemia was morecommon and mild hypoglycaemia . . . [Full text of this article]

Emma Morton-Eggleston, instructor of internal medicine¹, Eugene J Barrett, professor of internal medicine and pharmacology²

¹ University of Virginia School of Medicine, Box 801410, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA, ² University of Virginia School of Medicine, Box 801410, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA
(ejb8x@virginia.edu)

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This article has been cited by other articles:

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