New 2-Year Trial Shows Exubera Effective Reducing A1c 2%

New data shows that an experimental inhaled insulin drug called Exubera is effective in controlling blood sugar levels in diabetics over prolonged periods of time.

The results, presented at the Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes in Germany, showed that over two years the drug, Exubera, reduced blood glucose levels to 7.7 percent from 9.6 percent in patients with type II diabetes.

Patients in the control group, who took existing drugs without Exubera, saw their glucose levels fall to 8.1 percent. Type II diabetes, the most common form of the disease, is typically linked to obesity.

The two-year trial was designed to assess the efficacy of Exubera when added to sulfonylurea or metformin, existing diabetes drugs. Some 304 patients completed the trial.

Pfizer Inc., which is developing the drug with Sanofi-Aventis and Nektar Therapeutics, said both groups showed a slight reduction in lung function though there was no significant difference between the two groups. Concerns about reduced lung function have hampered progress of the product.

Safety concerns caused the companies to conduct additional clinical trials and delayed regulatory filing in the United States.