Update on Inhaled Insulin For Type 2’s

Inhaled insulin is effective therapy for patients with type 2 diabetes who fail to obtain adequate glycemic control with diet and exercise.

Dr. Ralph A. DeFronzo from University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, Texas and colleagues investigated whether premeal administration of inhaled insulin would prove better than rosiglitazone treatment in achieving a hemoglobin A1c level below 8.0%. They studied 402 patients with type 2 diabetes who had suboptimal glycemic control on diet and exercise.
Significantly more patients receiving inhaled insulin achieved a hemoglobin A1c target below 8.0% than did patients taking rosiglitazone (82.7% vs. 58.2%, respectively), the authors report.

More patients taking inhaled insulin also achieved hemoglobin A1c levels below 7% (44.0% vs. 17.9%), the report indicates.
Insulin use was associated with a greater number of hypoglycemic episodes, the researchers note, but there were no severe hypoglycemic episodes in either treatment group.

Reductions in fasting plasma glucose and 2-hour postprandial glucose levels were similar in the 2 treatment groups, the results indicate, but 24-hour self-monitored blood glucose improvements were better with inhaled insulin than with rosiglitazone treatment.

"To our knowledge," the investigators write, "this represents the only demonstration that ADA goals for glycemic control can be achieved in many type 2 diabetic patients using only a rapid-acting insulin."

"Additional studies are currently underway to further confirm these findings," the authors conclude. "This indicates that inhaled insulin, as initial monotherapy, could be a safe and effective therapy for people with type 2 diabetes who do not achieve adequate glycemic control through diet and exercise alone."
Diabetes Care 2005;28:1922-1928.

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DID YOU KNOW:
Research into a new treatment for nerve damage could reduce the number of amputations for people with diabetes. Scientists at the University of Manchester have discovered a way of stimulating genes that could help prevent nerve damage. People with diabetes have a higher risk of developing nerve damage which can cause ulcers and sores and lead to amputations. https://www.diabetes.org.uk

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