R.J Steffens

Four Drug Companies Vying for Diabetes Patients

Hi GreenClay,

Generex has conducted dose-response studies on their buccal insulin spray. Their patented Rapidmist delivery device has been found to bring precision dosing where each spray measures approx 1 Unit- of Oral-lyn human insulin from the first spray to the last. This allows for tight titration and is one of the main positive features of Oral-lyn. If you email the company at generex.com, they can send you the published data from the peer review (I believe the report was dated 2005).

There are no pills or syrup this far along in Phase testing. Oramed and Biocon have pills that are in very early Phase IIa, and one has a pill whose dose measures 8 mg and the other measures 10 mg. Both have tested their pills in a small handful of patients. I have followed both, and Emisphere also has promising platform technology, but has had difficulties in translating their research into a successful pill form.

Exubera was also measured in mg, and not the unit that diabetics, such as yourself, are familiar with. Their dosing was confusing and one of the many reasons for its lack of success.

An effective oral one unit dose should make things easier to calculate, depending on weight and carbs per meal. The low dose aspect would be a negative if many units are required for certain Type 1's. It is interesting that Generex is set to begin a diabetes preventive trial for those that are pre-diabetic or at risk of developling diabetes. This is similar to TrialNet, and is an area to watch for future developments.