Inhaled insulin approved

Back on September 11, I posted about Exubera, the inhaled insulin product from Pfizer. Well yesterday, the drug won FDA approval, and the drug will probably be available by the summer, with sales estimates of around $2 billion by 2010. The drug has been approved for both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, a matter that was still up in the air back in September.

As I mentioned in my previous coverage, Exubera will not be for those with impaired lung function or other breathing problems. Doctors are recommending that those that take the drug have their lung function checked every 6 to 12 months once they start using the inhaler. Questions over whether the inhaler is too cumbersome to be portable or to use in public, but reactions are mixed. Where the device lacks in visual appeal, it makes up for in convenience: it's easier to use an inhaler while doing something else (driving, for instance) than it is to whip out a needle and inject oneself. Those diabetes patients looking to get rid of their needles entirely will be disappointed — Exubera is a short-acting form of insulin. Those that rely on long-acting forms will still need their syringes.

[tags]inhaled insulin, insulin, diabetes, exubera[/tags]