Insulin systems have their place

Diabetes patients soon may have alternatives to needles in the way they receive insulin as companies have both pulmonary and oral formulations in the clinic. But rather than competing in the marketplace, these formulations may find separate niches, with oral used to increase baseline insulin levels and pulmonary drug used for rapid acting, pre-meal insulin.

In Phase II data reported at last week's American Diabetes Association meeting, insulin given immediately before a meal with Aradigm Corp. 's AERx Diabetes Management System for pulmonary delivery had similar glucose control to insulin injected 30 minutes before mealtime...