Inhaled insulin may mean end for diabetic injections

The ubiquitous syringe, carried everywhere by diabetics for their regular dose of insulin, could soon be replaced by a puffer, similar to those carried by asthmatics.

A new kind of powdered insulin, which is inhaled rather than injected, was yesterday recommended by an expert panel of the US Food and Drug Administration. If approved by the FDA, the drug, called Exubera, could be on the market within months. However, the FDA is not obliged to follow the recommendation of its expert panels.

Diabetes UK said it could be the first step towards ending daily insulin injections for the 700,000 people in Britain who need them to stay alive.

Douglas Smallwood, the group's chief executive, said: "This is exciting news and it is hoped inhaled insulin could be a reality for people in the UK within the year.

"Since insulin was discovered in the 1920s, injections have been the only option. Many attempts have been made to come up with new treatments and at last we appear to be close to success."

The inhaled drug can be used for Type 2 diabetes, the commonest kind, which accounts for 90 per cent of cases and develops in adulthood, but it will not replace all the shots needed for Type 1 diabetes, which normally starts in childhood.

Users will take a puff of the drug before meals to deliver a dose of insulin into the bloodstream that will help digest glucose from the meal and iron out blood sugar "spikes". It is a short- acting form of insulin and Type 1 diabetics will still need the long-acting insulin delivered by injection.

US regulators have raised safety concerns over the use of the drug by people who smoke or have lung problems. In response, the manufacturers, Pfizer, Sanofi Aventis, and Nektar Therapeutics, have said they will continue long-term studies into its effects on pulmonary function.

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