Insulin therapy: Tablets, capsules, sprays in the offing: expert

Insulin injections may be a thing of the past.

KARACHI:

Research indicates that the life-saving insulin drug may in the future be available in the form of tablets, capsules, sprays and inhalers.

The information was shared by the director for the National Institute of Diabetes and Endocrinology (NIDE), Professor M Zaman Shaikh.  He was speaking at a seminar on insulin therapy at the Ojha Campus of the Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS) on Thursday.

According to Zaman, about 7.1 million people live with diabetes in Pakistan, which ranks 7th in the world. Presently, the estimated prevalence is 7.6 per cent which is expected to escalate to 13.8 million people by 2030. The rise will take Pakistan to the fourth largest in terms of a diabetic population.

Explaining the condition, Shaikh said that insulin is a hormone secreted by a beta cell. The secretion is a response to the glucose or other stimuli such as amino acids. Insulin increases glucose uptake, particularly in muscle, live and adipose tissue. Insulin therapy aims to replicate the normal physiological insulin response.

There are many misconceptions about insulin therapy in diabetes. He said that insulin is essential not only for the health of diabetics, but is also needed to save the lives of many of them, especially those with type 1.

On advancements in insulin therapy, he said that new needles used to inject insulin are virtually painless.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 20^th, 2011.