My Diabetes Information Blogs
"Inside" Scoop on Insulin Patches
11/22/06
Clinical Trials, Research, General
Some of our comrades over at the The Diabetes Blog have been following the development of an insulin delivery patch. A product called Passport(TM) from Altea Therapeutics is currently in clinical trial. The benefits of the transdermal patch are many. One of the primary benefits is that it can provide a continuous dose of insulin. A user could wear it at night to help manage blood sugar levels while sleeping. However, there are rumors that the insulin in the patch is having trouble penetrating the skin and getting into the blood stream.
Insulin is a pretty big molecule, so it seems logical that a patch alone is not going to do it. We hope that we're wrong.
There is also another transdermal delivery system, the U-Strip(TM), that uses ultrasound to help insulin make it through a person's skin and into the bloodstream.
Finally, a scientist at the University of California, Santa Barbara is developing a patch that adheres to your intestines. Huh? Don't worry - no surgery needed. A user would swallow it in pill form. The special pill would survive the onslaught of the stomach, and emerge once it makes it into the intestines. From there it would adhere to the intestinal walls and deliver the insulin.
An Insulin Patch from the Diabetes Blog.