Pfizer: Exubera can be used despite respiratory illness

Pfizer, the world’s largest pharmaceutical company, has said that its inhaled insulin therapy, Exubera, is still effective in people with respiratory infections or in those who have been exposed to passive smoke.

The company presented new data at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes, which included analyses of 14 previous studies for the therapy during phase II and III development periods.

And although people who have been exposed to passive smoke were likely to show decreased levels of drug absorption, the study revealed that Exubera is still effective.

Additionally, Exubera patients were found to be no more likely to develop a respiratory tract infection than those using standard, injected insulin products.

Professor Phillippe Camus, lead study investigator from the University Medical Centre, Dijon, France said the new information would be important for healthcare professionals considering prescribing Exubera to patients.

“It shows that the efficacy and tolerability of Exubera remain unchanged even if patients develop a cold or the flu,” he concluded.

Exubera was launched in the UK during June, albeit with a limited indication as an alternative for patients with needle phobias. Simon O’Neill, director of care and policy for Diabetes UK, described the Pfizer treatment as “one of the biggest medical advances since the discover of insulin in the 1920s”.

Novo Nordisk, the insulin analogue specialist pharmaceutical manufacturer, has also developed inhaled insulin delivery system.