INSULIN INHALANT SHOWS PROMISE IN RECENT STUDY.Byline: Daily News VALENCIA - MannKind Corp.'s experimental insulin-inhalation system appeared an effective treatment for diabetes during a recent clinical study. The Valencia-based biomedical bi·o·med·i·cal adj. 1. Of or relating to biomedicine. 2. Of, relating to, or involving biological, medical, and physical sciences. firm on Wednesday released results of its U.S.-based clinical study of its Technosphere Insulin system - a special powder insulin formula delivered through a proprietary inhaler inhaler /in·hal·er/ (in-hal´er) 1. an apparatus for administering vapor or volatilized medications by inhalation. 2. ventilator (2). in·hal·er n. that could treat patients with Type 2 diabetes type 2 diabetes n. See diabetes mellitus. . Insulin for diabetics is usually injected by needle and, in some cases, by a new pump system. The company completed the second phase of studies in October, and the final phase could begin in mid-2005. ``This study indicates that Technosphere Insulin can effectively lower blood glucose levels blood glucose level, n level of glu-cose in the bloodstream, normally about 70 to 115 mg/dL after fasting overnight. Higher levels may indicate diseases such as diabetes mellitus. in patients with Type 2 diabetes, who previously were experiencing inadequate control of their disease,'' Dr. Wendell Cheatham, the company's chief medical officer, said in a statement. ``The typical risks of frequent or severe hypoglycemia hypoglycemia: see diabetes. hypoglycemia Below-normal levels of blood glucose, quickly reversed by administration of oral or intravenous glucose. Even brief episodes can produce severe brain dysfunction. associated with insulin therapy appear to be minimal.'' The double-blind, placebo-controlled study was conducted among 123 men and women at 21 places around the United States. Participants had inadequate control of diabetes, and performed regular monitoring of blood-glucose levels at home. There were no serious adverse events related to the use of the study drug, and also no evidence of treatment-induced insulin antibodies occurring in patients, the company said. The company recently took its insulin-inhalant system to Phase 3 clinical trials phase 3 clinical trial Phase 3 study. See Phase study. in Europe. |
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