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www.diabetesdaily.com/blog/2015/02/inhaled-insulin-sanofi-mannkind-announce-afrezza/ Inhaled Insulin: Sanofi & MannKind Announce Afrezza
By Scott K. JohnsonPrint Friendly Version of this pagePrint Get a PDF version of this webpagePDF12 comments
Afrezza®Have you ever dreamed of taking insulin without having to use a needle? Your wish may have come true last week!
On Tuesday, February 3, 2015, Sanofi & MannKind Corporation announced that Afrezza inhaled insulin is FDA approved for people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes and is available by prescription in U.S. retail pharmacies nationwide.
Afrezza is the combined name of both the inhaler device and the dry formulation human insulin cartridges, currently available in 8-unit and 4-unit doses (other sizes of insulin cartridges are being considered). The disposable inhaler can be used for up to 15 days (kept in a clean, dry place with the mouthpiece cover on).
As pictured, the inhaler is small and appears quite portable, a critical improvement over Pfizer’s Exubera which was about the size of a small rolling pin from your kitchen. Exubera was discontinued in 2007, many say because of poor sales.
Afrezza is a rapid-acting insulin and is taken at the beginning of a meal. Peak insulin action is about 1 hour, and the duration of action appears a little shorter than other rapid-acting insulins.
The speed of action and shorter duration may appeal to many people with type 1 diabetes who don’t have a choice about using insulin but are frustrated with the long lag times.
And being able to inhale insulin may open up new treatment options for many with type 2 (or other) diabetes who have resisted insulin therapy because of resistance to injections. However, it’s important to note that Afrezza is rapid-acting, or bolus, insulin, and won’t replace any long-acting or intermediate-acting basal insulins being used, which is a common first-line therapy for many people with type 2 diabetes.
There are concerns about the price of Afrezza, with unverified sources reporting it costing more than double Sanofi’s injectible rapid-acting insulin, Apidra. There is a prescription savings card available at
www.afrezza.com that may help with costs, though there are restrictions (which is common with savings cards like this, and they are described in detail on the savings card webpage along with a phone number to call with questions).
Available safety information states that Afrezza is not recommended for patients who smoke or who have recently stopped smoking, and should not be used in patients with chronic lung disease such as asthma or COPD.
More information is available at
www.afrezza.com, and the press release can be found here: Sanofi and MannKind Announce Afrezza®, the Only Inhaled Insulin, Now Available in the U.S.
You can also search Diabetes Daily for conversations about Afrezza.
