Diabetes: Scientists develop insulin pill to end painful injections
Scientists have developed an insulin pill that could signal the end of injections for diabetics. They believe the drug may overcome the pain and needle phobias some diabetics experience. The pill survives the acidic environment of the stomach to release insulin into the bloodstream, unlike previous failed attempts to make oral diabetes medications, the researchers […]
Scientists have developed an insulin pill that could signal the end of injections for diabetics.
They believe the drug may overcome the pain and needle phobias some diabetics experience.
The pill survives the acidic environment of the stomach to release insulin into the bloodstream, unlike previous failed attempts to make oral diabetes medications, the researchers said.
The study also found that the blood-glucose levels of rats fell by 38 per cent in two hours after they were given the unnamed pill and 45 per cent after 10 hours, compared to a 49 per cent decrease in 60 minutes among those given insulin injections.
The drug has a special coating that enables it to survive the stomach’s acids said Study author, Professor Samir Mitragotri, from Harvard. “Once ingested, insulin must navigate a challenging obstacle course before it can be effectively absorbed into the bloodstream,” he said.
He said the implications of this work to medicine could be huge if the findings could be translated into pills that safely and effectively administer insulin to humans.
According to Dr Mark Prausnitz, from the Georgia Institute of Technology, who was not involved in the study, the study showed remarkable results where insulin given by mouth works about as well as a conventional injection.
It is unclear when the drug may be available and if it would benefit type 1 or 2 diabetes patients.
The researchers said the medication would also be relatively inexpensive to produce and could be stored for up to two months. Further animal and long-term safety tests are required before it may be available.