When my cousins and I were children, our grandmother would give us empty, needle-free, orange-and-white syringes to play with after she finished her daily insulin injections.

I loved pretending to be a doctor, giving 'shots' to my dolls. I had no idea just how painful those syringes--merely games to me--were for my grandmother.

Nobody likes being injected with a needle; often, taking insulin is the activity many diabetics most dread.

There may be good news: the FDA has recently released news concerning the world's first approved inhaled insulin. Taken directly into the mouth, much like using an asthma inhaler, this delivery of insulin would eliminate the need for painful needles.

From the FDA:There is a new, potential alternative for many of the more than 5 million Americans who take insulin injections, with the Food and Drug Administration's approval today of the first ever inhaled insulin. Exubera, an inhaled powder form of recombinant human insulin (rDNA) for the treatment of adult patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes, is the first new insulin delivery option introduced since the discovery of insulin in the 1920s.

"Until today, patients with diabetes who need insulin to manage their disease had only one way to treat their condition," said Dr. Steven Galson, Director, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, FDA. "It is our hope that the availability of inhaled insulin will offer patients more options to better control their blood sugars."

The safety and efficacy of Exubera have been studied in approximately 2500 adult patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes. In clinical studies, Exubera reached peak insulin concentration more quickly than some insulins, called regular insulin, administered by an injection. Peak insulin levels were achieved at 49 minutes (range 30 to 90 minutes) with Exubera inhaled insulin compared to 105 minutes (range 60 to 240 minutes) with regular insulin, respectively. In type 1 diabetes, inhaled insulin may be added to longer acting insulins as a replacement for short-acting insulin taken with meals. In type 2 diabetes, inhaled insulin may be used alone, along with oral (non-insulin) pills that control blood sugar, or with longer acting insulins.

(Photo Source: Med Gadgets)