Inhaled Insulin: Exubera

OBJECTIVE:To review the pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, efficacy, and safety of Exubera, a novel, dry-powder formulation of insulin for inhalation, and describe patient satisfaction and quality-of-life data.DATA SOURCES:A MEDLINE search (1966–November 2004) was conducted using the key words inhaled insulin and Exubera for clinical trials limited to human research published in English. BIOSIS Previews and the American Diabetes Association Scientific Abstracts were used for published abstract information.STUDY SELECTION AND DATA EXTRACTION:All available human studies of Exubera were selected for review. References of identified articles were used for additional citations.DATA SYNTHESIS:Exubera is a rapid-acting insulin administered by oral inhalation before meals with long-acting insulin administered subcutaneously once or twice daily for type 1 or 2 diabetes mellitus. Exubera provides similar efficacy and improved patient satisfaction compared with standard subcutaneous insulin therapy (ie, NPH twice daily...