One of the main challenges for diabetic patients who need to inject insulin daily is consistency. Studies indicate that many struggle to complete this daily task, which has a direct impact on their health. A new development allowing insulin to be taken orally may well solve this problem and make taking insulin completely simple.
An estimated 422 million people worldwide have diabetes, 150 million of whom inject insulin daily. Around 1.5 million deaths are directly attributed to diabetes each year, a significant figure that highlights the importance of the problem.
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Insulin pills
(Photo: University of Sydney/ Stefanie Zingsheim)
The oral intake method, tested so far on mice, hamsters and rabbits in research published in the journal Nature Nanotechnology, has yielded encouraging results. Animal experiments have shown that the new method responds to sugar levels in the body. Insulin was released when blood sugar levels were high, but especially not when they were low.
Is it in pill or syrup form?
Taking oral insulin is made easier by capsules containing extremely small material – 1/10,000 the width of a human hair. Thanks to this new method, insulin is released gradually according to the patient’s needs, unlike injections where all the insulin is released at once.
Therefore, the new method works similarly to insulin in healthy individuals, with the capsule’s coating protecting the substance from degradation that can occur due to contact with stomach acid. “The most important advantage of oral insulin is above all the potential improvement in treatment compliance,” explains Dr. Lior Noyman, specialist in family medicine, specialist in obesity and diabetes.
“Although there have been enormous advances in the treatment of diabetes over the past 100 years since the discovery of insulin, in Israel and most Western countries the drug is still administered only by injection under -cutaneous – whether by injector pen, syringe or pump This poses a significant problem of compliance in diabetic patients, or in other words, a reduction in their willingness to accept and adhere to the treatment recommended by their doctor.
Who is it for?
“We are primarily talking about patients with type 1 diabetes, many of whom are adolescents and young adults, who must receive external insulin due to irreversible damage to their pancreatic beta cells. that they must inject themselves regularly throughout their lives, several times a day, or carry an insulin pump, with all the physical and emotional implications that ensue. It should be noted that in the United States there is already short-acting insulin. “A commercially available powder inhalation device, similar to those used by asthma patients, but it is unclear if and when this device will be available in Israel.”
Should be used in the next few years
Human trials are expected to begin next year under spin-out company Endo Axiom Pty Ltd, founded by Professors Victoria Koger, David La Couture and Dr Nicholas Hahn after 20 years of research. Their objective is to ultimately market the new method within two to three years, after three stages of experimentation.
Another Israeli company, Ormed, has been working on a similar solution for around 20 years. A little over a year ago, it announced the failure of phase 3 of its clinical trial on the formulation of insulin. About three months ago, it announced that it was in talks to renew the clinical trial. This follows clarifications suggesting that the drug was effective in specific subpopulations with certain medical parameters.
News Source : www.ynetnews.com
Gn Health
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