According to a recent scientific experiment, certain individuals with type 1 diabetes may benefit more from inhaled insulin than from injections or pumps.
Researchers found that patients who had long-lasting insulin degludec injections in addition to inhaled insulin (Afrezza) had better blood sugar control than those who received standard therapy.
Results indicate that during the research, hemoglobin A1C improved by more than 0.5% in about 21% of those receiving inhaled insulin and by 5% in those receiving conventional care.
According to senior researcher Dr. Irl Hirsch, chair of diabetes treatment and teaching at the University of Washington in St. Louis, the clinical trial’s findings “will impact diabetes management by providing healthcare providers and patients with an alternative insulin delivery method.”
A specialized inhaler is required to administer inhaled insulin orally. Inhaled insulin is available in powder form and is usually served first thing in the morning.
In this research, 123 adult participants with type 1 diabetes were randomized to receive insulin via inhalation in addition to degludec insulin or to continue receiving several daily insulin injections or an automated insulin pump.
Over sixteen weeks were spent on the trial at nineteen hospitals across the United States.
The NIH states that an A1C score of 6.5% or above is indicative of diabetes.
About 21% of people on inhaled insulin who had an A1C level of 7% or higher during the research experienced a decline below 7%.
Nobody receiving standard care succeeded in achieving this objective.
Additionally, the data indicate that 19% of participants who shifted from utilizing an automated administration system to inhaled insulin experienced an improvement in their A1C of more than 0.5%.
It was also a well-liked option. After the trial concluded, more than half of the individuals chose to continue using inhaled insulin, according to the researchers.
Inhaled insulin was only suitable for some, though. Compared to 3% of patients who continued receiving conventional therapy, approximately 26% of patients in the insulin-inhaled group experienced an increase in their A1C values.
The study results were presented at the annual meeting of the American Diabetes Association in Orlando, Florida. Results presented at medical conferences ought to be regarded as preliminary until they are published in a peer-reviewed journal.
