Review: Current status of the development of inhaled insulin Published by:

The most promising alternative route of insulinadministration seems to be pulmonary delivery byinhalation. For a maximal rate of absorption insulin must be applied deep into the lung, i.e., into the alveoli. A number of inhalers designed to generate an aerosol with an appropriate particle size for pulmonary delivery are currently in clinical development. The pharmacodynamic effects of insulin formulations administered via the lung are comparable to, or are even faster than, those of subcutaneously injected regular insulin or rapid-acting insulin analogues. The relative biopotency of inhaled insulin is approximately 10%, i.e., the dose of inhaled insulin must be 10 times higher than the dose applied subcutaneously in order to induce a comparable metabolic effect. Clinical trials indicate that metabolic control with this pain free rout