News of a new medicine for diabetes is always encouraging for diabetes patients. Currently there are two major advances in diabetes treatment that are in the final stages of research.

There’s no question, the final cure for diabetes will most likely come with gene therapy. But while that’s still in the future, new medicines for diabetes continue to be developed.

The latest development in the battle against diabetes, are two new forms of insulin- Exenatide and Glargine.

They might make a big difference for patients like Yadira Valentin, for whom diabetes is an everyday challenge. “I take pills I take pills twice a day and I try to be on a diet as long as I can. I avoid eating sweet cakes and starchy foods in general. I use Sweet and Low and other low sugars,” says Yadira.

Still, it’s not easy to keep the sugars under control. Her and her weight doesn’t help either, since obesity can cause a considerable rise in sugar levels.

“One wish is to lose at least 30 to 40 pounds,” says Yadira.

But there’s a catch-22 with insulin, the inject-able drug for diabetics which is used when the pill form of medications doesn’t keep the sugar under good control. The problem is that insulin itself causes weight gain.

But now, there may be an answer in the form of a new, experimental type of insulin called Exenatide.

Given twice daily, a new study shows Exenatide controls blood sugar just as well as other long acting forms of insulin, but without the weight gain! In fact, patients getting Exenatide lost about five pounds over six months, compared to those getting standard long acting insulin, called Glargine, who ended up gaining four pounds.

And, there’s proof now that adding the new, experimental inhaled insulin can work very well and get the blood sugars close to ideal target numbers when used in addition to pills.


Dr. Maria Diaz, an internist, says, “I am very excited about the new medicines. I am more excited about telling my patient that they don’t have to inject their insulin, they can inhale it.”

No question what Yadira would prefer. “The inhaler. I’m afraid of the injection so I’ll take it with the inhaler any day.”

Inhaled insulin is not only ideal for those with a fear of needles; it’s also for those who can’t inject themselves.

“For instance there are patient who have difficulty using their hands because they are diabetic and have neuropathy, or damage of the peripheral nerves. They can’t use their hands, so they can probably inhale the insulin,” states Dr. Diaz.

There is one significant problem with Exenatide, the new injected form of insulin. It caused nausea in more than half of the patients using it, and 17% of them vomited.
This alone may explain the overall weight loss, although study participants who did not reports nausea and vomiting had similar weight loss and blood sugar control.
There’s also a question of the long term effects of inhaled insulin on the lungs.

Still, they are two new medicines for diabetes that will likely find an important place in the arsenal diabetics currently have to better control their disease.

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