DIABETES: ALTERNATIVE WAYS OF HAVING INSULIN
Many people feel that if only there were some way to have insulin that didn’t involve a needle, life with diabetes would be very much better. We know that insulin cannot be swallowed as a medicine or capsule, because insulin is destroyed in the intestines before it could be absorbed. Are there any other possibilities?
1. Jet injection
It has been known for a long time that it is possible to give some drugs beneath the skin forming a high speed jet stream of fine particles (much like jet injection in the diesel engine) and aiming it close to the skin. The particles go right through and lodge beneath the skin and there may be little sensation or pain in this process.
This method is used for local anesthetics and immunizations. It is also used to give insulin and there are several types of jet injections that are now available. The problem up to date had been that it is difficult to administer an accurate dose and one that could be altered when needed by small amounts. Some people have felt that rather expensive and complex paraphernalia needed for jet injection isn’t worth it just to avoid a fine needle.
Insulin can be absorbed into the body through the membranes of the nose. There is some research evidence to show that diabetes could be controlled by insulin given this way. The disadvantages – so far – are very large doses are needed which is expensive and wasteful. It is also possible that a reaction could be set up in the nose that would cause an irritation and perhaps interfere with the way the insulin was absorbed.
3. Inhalation of insulin
Insulin can also be absorbed through the lining of the lung. It is possible to make a very fine spray of insulin – like a mist of very fine liquid particles – and this could be inhaled into the lungs where the insulin can be absorbed. This system would work rather like the inhalation of medication of asthma and some lung conditions.
This method would probably take longer to give insulin than to give a simple injection, and has the similar potential difficulties to nasal insulin. Nevertheless there is research going on that might develop this and other techniques for having insulin without a needle.
*78/54/5*
