MOSCOW, July 17 (Itar-Tass) —— How soon would it be possible to add to the the injectable form of insulin the form for inhalation? The answer will be clear after the international tests, which are being finalized at several clinical centers in Russia, including in the endocrinology clinic of the First Moscow State Medical University named after Sechenov.
Attempts to replace insulin injections with more simple and convenient tablets or inhalation forms have been made repeatedly throughout the world - actually, immediately after the drug was introduced, but still they have not broght any positive result.
Now, the University and some local hospitals have announced enrollment of patients with diabetes of the first and second types to participate in an international clinical trial of a new inhaled insulin.
This would be the third stage of the continuous work, head of the research team, PhD, the University’s Assistant Professor of Endocrinology Maria Pavlova said.
Beginning from 2007, the second phase of work, the Department of Endocrinology and other clinical centres in Russia have been participating in trials of Technosphere drug produced by MannKind. The result of the second phase of research, which involved patients with diabetes, was: inhalation form of insulin is possible, doctors say it "works".
The current, third, phase of research is a pre-registration stage. Its goal is to understand the real efficacy and safety of the drug. To do this, they select to the group patients who do not smoke, do not have complications and who observe strictly the regime of taking the drug.
"The scale of such research tolday is global: not a single country is able to defeat diabetes," Pavlova said. According to the World Health Organization, more than 346 million people throughout the world suffer from it. "Therefore, any attempt to make life for these people easier is noble."
The fact Russian scientists participate in an international clinical trial of the level confirms the credibility of the Russian school of research recognized by the world scientific community, she said. "If the drug "works," it will give easier lives to many Russians," Pavlova said.