Diabetes News
- Mimics the Normally-Occurring First Phase Insulin Response -
- Lowers Post-Meal Glucose Levels Sooner Than Conventional Insulin Injection and Without Increasing the Risk of Hypoglycemia -
VALENCIA, June 11 (PRNewswire-FirstCall) -- New studies presented today at the 65th annual meeting of the American Diabetes Association in San Diego, California, highlight the potential of MannKind Corporation's (Nasdaq: MNKD) lead product, inhaled Technosphere(R) Insulin (TI), to mimic in a timely manner the first or early phase insulin response, which is absent in all patients with diabetes. Approximating this response helps patients maintain post-meal (called postprandial) glucose control better than when insulin is delivered subcutaneously.
"These new findings are tremendously encouraging and add to the growing body of data supporting the benefits and potential use of our inhaled Technosphere(R) Insulin as a new approach to diabetes management. To date, we have evaluated over 500 patients with more than 45,000 days of patient use with Technosphere(R) Insulin," said Hakan Edstrom, President and Chief Operating Officer of MannKind Corporation.
Today, the Company presented two posters showing findings from a study that evaluated Technosphere(R) Insulin in a group of 12 subjects with type 2 diabetes.
1. Poster No. 1373-P: "Mimicry of the Early Phase Insulin Response in Humans with Rapidly Available Inhaled Insulin Accelerates Postprandial Glucose Disposal Compared to Slower Bioavailable Insulin."
In individuals without diabetes, there is a normally-occurring rapid and intense first phase insulin secretion in response to a meal. This spike is lost in patients with diabetes, who consequently experience higher and protracted blood glucose increases after a meal. Long-term uncontrolled elevations of blood glucose have been shown to cause irreversible damage.
The study found that mimicking the first phase insulin release by giving a dose of TI allowed glucose elimination to reach maximum evels much faster than with regular subcutaneous insulin (45 minutes with TI against 240 minutes with subcutaneous insulin), thus facilitating postprandial glucose control.
2. Poster No. 443-P: "Inhaled Technosphere(R)/Insulin: Glucose Elimination at the Right Time?"
It is important for patients with diabetes to have tight glucose control prior to, during and following a meal to avoid serious complications of diabetes like blindness and irreversible damage to the kidneys and nerves. The most effective way to lower blood glucose is by giving insulin, but the use of insulin is limited due to the risk of inducing hypoglycemia. Hypoglycemia is a life-threatening situation where blood glucose falls below normal levels. It is a current therapeutic goal to bring blood glucose back to normal levels within 2-3 hours after a meal. However, conventional subcutaneous insulin doses that are sufficient to achieve this goal often extend their effect on glucose beyond the time when normal levels have been reached, potentially inducing hypoglycemia late after a meal. The risk of hypoglycemia is an obstacle both for achieving good glucose control and reducing complications associated with diabetes.
TI was demonstrated to exert about 74% of its glucose lowerin activity within the first 3 hours following administration, wheras regular subcutaneous insulin only exerted approximately 30% of the activity within the same time period. TI appears to have the ability to achieve glucose lowering activity earlier than subcutaneous insulin without increasing the risk of late postprandial hypoglycemia commonly associated with regular subcutaneous insulin.
About MannKind Corporation
MannKind (Nasdaq: MNKD) focuses on the discovery, development and commercialization of therapeutic products for diseases such as diabetes and cancer. The Company is currently in Phase 3 clinical trials of its lead product, the Technosphere(R) Insulin System, in Europe to study its potential for the treatment of diabetes. MannKind plans to begin the first U.S. Phase 3 long-term safety study of Technosphere(R) Insulin in type 1 and type 2 patients this year. This System consists of a proprietary dry powder Technosphere(R) formulation of insulin that is inhaled into the deep lung using the Company's MedTone(R) inhaler. MannKind believes that the performance characteristics, unique kinetics, convenience and ease of use of the Technosphere(R) Insulin System may have the potential to change the way diabetes is treated. For more information on MannKind Corporation and its technology, visit http://www.mannkindcorp.com.