Pfizer: UK launch of Exubera welcomed by Diabetes UK

The UK launch of Exubera, the inhaled insulin produced by Pfizer, has been welcomed by Diabetes UK, the diabetes charity.

Despite an earlier NICE guidance that said the treatment should only be prescribed to diabetes patients with a “proven injection phobia” – a decision strongly criticised by Pfizer – Diabetes UK said the treatment would improve the quality of life of diabetes patients.

Additionally, the treatment would persuade diabetes patients who avoid injections to move onto insulin treatment more readily, thereby reducing the risks to their health by delaying treatment.

Simon O’Neill, director of care and policy at Diabetes UK, commented: “Diabetes UK welcomes the launch of Exubera as one of the biggest medical advances since the discovery of insulin in the 1920s.”

While pointing out the benefits of the new treatment for diabetics with injection phobias, Mr O’Neill joined in with Pfizer’s criticism of NICE not to approve the use of the drug for a wider audience.

He said: “Diabetes UK strongly feels that the decision to prescribe Exubera should lie with the person with diabetes and his or her diabetes specialist and that this decision should not be based on cost.”

In related news, Novo Nordisk, the pharmaceutical insulin specialist, has said it intends to sue Pfizer for breaches of patents regarding inhaled insulin technology.

Jim Shehan, general counsel for Novo Nordisk, told the Financial Times that its patents for inhaled insulin were “relatively broad” and that Pfizer had knowingly infringed them.

A Pfizer spokesman said the company was “confident” in the originality behind Exubera’s technology.

© Adfero Ltd