A group of Canadian researchers has stated that they are working on an oral diabetes medication whose absorption of the insulin is comparable to that of injections.
The University of British Columbia (UBC) revealed the discovery in a press release, stating that “researchers have found that insulin from the latest version of their oral tablets is absorbed by rats in the same way that injected insulin is.”
Dr. Anubhav Pratap-Singh, an Indo-Canadian lead investigator and professor of land and food systems at UBC, is in charge of the study group.
The journal Scientific Reports also published the study’s preliminary findings.
“These exciting results show that we are on the right track in developing an insulin formulation that will no longer need to be injected before every meal, improving the quality of life and mental health of more than nine million Type 1 diabetics worldwide,” said Dr. Pratap-Singh, who studied chemical engineering at IIT-Kharagpur.
His father, a diabetic who has needed three or four insulin injections every day for the past 15 years, served as the research’s inspiration, he claimed.
A timeline for the finished product has not yet been established because the pill’s research work has not yet advanced to human trials. But if successfully administered, the oral tablet would “be more sustainable, cost-effective, and accessible,” according to Dr. Pratap-Singh.
The UBC team concentrated on “how to facilitate a faster absorption rate” despite the fact that other oral insulin substitutes are being investigated all around the world.
This particular pill should not be ingested; rather, it should be sandwiched between the cheek and gum to disintegrate. The thin membrane that lines the inner cheek and rear of the lips is used in this procedure (also known as the buccal mucosa). Without wasting or degrading any insulin along the route, it transported all the insulin to the liver, according to a UBC press statement.
The majority of the insulin from earlier attempts to create a drinkable form of insulin would accumulate in the stomach, according to Dr. Alberto Baldelli, a senior fellow in Dr. Pratap-lab. Singh’s Now, he said, they are seeing nearly 100% of the insulin from their tablets go straight into the liver. According to Dr. Baldelli, “our oral delivery tablet absorbs after half an hour and can last for roughly two to four hours long.” rapid-acting insulin injection.
As their “oral alternative could be cheaper and easier to create,” Dr. Pratap-Singh believed that their procedure will “lower the cost of insulin per dose”.
