Hundreds of thousands of people in the UK with diabetes may soon benefit from inhalers that could dramatically cut the number of injections needed to control the disease. Researchers believe the first insulin inhaler will be licensed for general use in Europe within the year.
About 700,000 Britons are thought to need at least one jab a day, and maybe four or five. But the new, dry powder form of insulin, which is inhaled and which has been tried by more than 3,500 adults worldwide, some for more than seven years, offers promising prospects.
The scientists say it could lead to better management of the disease and so reduce the risk of amputation and complications like heart disease, stroke and kidney failure.
Possibly, regular mealtime puffs from an inhaler could take the place of inconvenient injections, even if a long-acting daily jab were used to ensure sufficient insulin levels.
The development is likely to benefit far more people over the next 10 years than the promising, but small-scale, transplants of pancreatic islet cells, which produce insulin.
Teams in Birmingham, London and Miami, are among those involved in the trials, which have involved patients with type 1 diabetes treated by insulin injections and diet, and patients with type 2 diabetes. Patients in the latter group, mainly older people but increasingly those who are younger and obese, are often treated through diet and tablets to control glucose levels but more of these patients are also needing injections.
Douglas Smallwood, chief executive of Diabetes UK, said: "Since insulin was discovered in the 1920s, injections have been the only option. That can be difficult for some people. Many attempts have been made to come up with new treatments and at last we appear to be close to success. While it will not be suitable for everyone, this could make a real difference to the lives of many people with diabetes."
Trials suggest that for those with type 2 diabetes already on tablets, inhaled insulin gives better blood glucose control than further doses of tablets. For those with type 1 disease, four years of inhaled insulin treatment plus a daily injection have proved effective without serious side-effects.
Pfizer and Sanofi-Aventis have filed with US and European regulatory bodies for licences to market the inhaler, known as Exubera.
BACKLASH: The National Party quit its decades-long partnership with the Liberal Party after their election loss to center-left Labor, which won a historic third term Australia’s National Party has split from its conservative coalition partner of more than 60 years, the Liberal Party, citing policy differences over renewable energy and after a resounding loss at a national election this month. “Its time to have a break,” Nationals leader David Littleproud told reporters yesterday. The split shows the pressure on Australia’s conservative parties after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s center-left Labor party won a historic second term in the May 3 election, powered by a voter backlash against US President Donald Trump’s policies. Under the long-standing partnership in state and federal politics, the Liberal and National coalition had shared power
A Croatian town has come up with a novel solution to solve the issue of working parents when there are no public childcare spaces available: pay grandparents to do it. Samobor, near the capital, Zagreb, has become the first in the country to run a “Grandmother-Grandfather Service,” which pays 360 euros (US$400) a month per child. The scheme allows grandparents to top up their pension, but the authorities also hope it will boost family ties and tackle social isolation as the population ages. “The benefits are multiple,” Samobor Mayor Petra Skrobot told reporters. “Pensions are rather low and for parents it is sometimes
CONTROVERSY: During the performance of Israel’s entrant Yuval Raphael’s song ‘New Day Will Rise,’ loud whistles were heard and two people tried to get on stage Austria’s JJ yesterday won the Eurovision Song Contest, with his operatic song Wasted Love triumphing at the world’s biggest live music television event. After votes from national juries around Europe and viewers from across the continent and beyond, JJ gave Austria its first victory since bearded drag performer Conchita Wurst’s 2014 triumph. After the nail-biting drama as the votes were revealed running into yesterday morning, Austria finished with 436 points, ahead of Israel — whose participation drew protests — on 357 and Estonia on 356. “Thank you to you, Europe, for making my dreams come true,” 24-year-old countertenor JJ, whose
A documentary whose main subject, 25-year-old photojournalist Fatima Hassouna, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza weeks before it premiered at Cannes stunned viewers into silence at the festival on Thursday. As the cinema lights came back on, filmmaker Sepideh Farsi held up an image of the young Palestinian woman killed with younger siblings on April 16, and encouraged the audience to stand up and clap to pay tribute. “To kill a child, to kill a photographer is unacceptable,” Farsi said. “There are still children to save. It must be done fast,” the exiled Iranian filmmaker added. With Israel
RSS