FDA approves first inhalable version of insulin

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15 percent don't take medications
Most diabetics have Type 2, a condition linked to obesity that occurs when the body cannot effectively use the insulin it makes. In some cases, the disease can be managed with pills when matched with a diet, exercise and weight-management plan.

Pfizer believes Exubera will encourage diabetics who are squeamish about needles to take the insulin. About 15 percent of diagnosed diabetics do not take the insulin or pills they should, the American Diabetes Association estimates.

Better control of blood sugar levels allows diabetics to ward off serious complications, including diseases of the eye, kidneys and nerves. The latter can lead to ulcers and infections in the legs and feet and, in some cases, amputations.

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The Exubera device is about the size of an eyeglass case. It delivers insulin, as a dry powder packaged in one- or three-milligram inhalable capsules, to the lungs through the mouth, according to Pfizer.

Diabetics with asthma, poorly controlled or unstable lung disease, or who smoke or recently quit, shouldn’t use Exubera, the FDA said. And patients should have their lungs checked before using the drug, as well as at six- to 12-month intervals after that.

NBC VIDEO
First inhaled version of insulin approved
Jan. 27: The FDA approved the first inhalable version of insulin on Friday. NBC's Tom Costello reports.
Nightly News
“It’s not going to be an overnight sensation,” said Dr. Robert Goldstein, chief scientific officer for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International. “My concern is that people will assume they are now free of insulin shots.”

Deutsche bank analyst Barbara Ryan said she expects a daily supply of Exubera will cost about $4 to $5. Treatment with injected insulin costs $1 to $1.50, she said.

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