A company called Nektar Therapeutics, makers of the delivery device,
announced that they expect the product to be available by mid July.
They also said that the new data on Exubera reinforces the drug’s
long-term efficacy and safety. Nektar will receive royalties on
Exubera's sales.
Pfizer presented data on their study at the 66th Annual Scientific
Sessions of the American Diabetes Association in Washington, D.C. The
findings from the two Phase III trials confirmed that people who
switched from rapid-acting injectable insulin to Exubera experienced no
loss of blood sugar control, according to MarketWatch.
"As the creator of the core technologies for Exubera, we at Nektar
appreciate that today's findings help to confirm that we are bringing
patients a new way of treating diabetes," said John Patton, Nektar's
co-founder and chief scientific officer, in a statement.
One study involved 635 adults with type 2 diabetes being treated with
injected insulin, which was then randomized to either Exubera or
continued injections. The researchers compared the groups after two
years. Both groups had similar improvement or maintained their blood
sugar levels.
People using Exubera gained less weight though. According the
researchers, patients taking Exubera gained 1.7 kg (or 3.7 pounds),
compared to 3 kg (6.6 pounds) in patients on the injected insulin.
There was a side effect. The patients that used Exubera coughed more
frequently, according to Reuters. The report says that 2.2 percent of
patients dropped out of the trial because of this side effect.
Although lung function naturally drops off with age, the Exubera group
saw a 1.5 percent decline compared to the injected insulin group. The
researchers believe the drop in pulmonary function was non-progressive
and reversible.
A second study involved 582 adult patients with type 1 diabetes. In
this study the Exubera patients gained less weight as well. Patients
gained an average of 0.8 kg (1.7 pounds), compared with 2 kg (4.4
pounds) for patients on injected insulin.
It is estimated that 15 million Americans have been diagnosed with
diabetes. The disease can cause heart disease, amputation, blindness,
kidney failure and death. Exubera should not be use by smokers, people
with an underlying lung disease, or pregnant women.
Dan Wilson
Best Syndication
Books
on Diabetes
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