The nationwide study has more than 1,000 participants, and 55 of them are in clinical trial at the University of Vermont Medical Center. The inhaler, marketed by pharmaceutical company Psizer-Aventis, is about the size of a cell phone and can easily be carried and used anywhere, according to Cefalu. The carry case holds the inhaler and up to several packages of dry insulin. The patient puts the unopened packet of insulin into the lower chamber of the inhaler, which contains compressed air. The patient then presses the trigger, which ruptures the blister pack and essentially forms a cloud of insulin, Cefalu explains.
Patients inhale that and hold it for three to five seconds.
For those patients who want off the needle, this will make a big difference. The inhaled insulin is designed to be taken three times a day before meals. Insulin levels in the packets vary. Currently, they are available in one milligram or three milligram doses, and up to three packets may be used before each meal, although Cefalu believes patients should try to limit themselves to no more than two inhalations at a time. The insulin concentrations work to bring blood sugar down after a meal in essentially the same way injectable insulin works.