Lilly acquires intranasal glucagon from Locemia Solutions

Lilly has announced the acquisition of an intranasal glucagon product for the treatment of severe hypoglycaemia from Locemia Solutions.

Intended for people with diabetes treated with insulin, the product is currently in phase III clinical trial testing and could become the first needle-free rescue treatment for severe hypoglycaemia.

This proprietary glucagon nasal powder formulation is delivered in emergency situations using a single-use ready-to-use device. The caregiver presses a small plunger on the bottom of the device to release the glucagon as a puff in the nose, where the glucagon is absorbed in the nasal passages.

It is expected that this innovation could improve quality of life for patients and make it easier for people to take action in a severe hypoglycaemia emergency.

Enrique Conterno, president of Lilly Diabetes, said: "If approved, glucagon nasal powder would be an important innovation for people with diabetes and an exciting addition to our product portfolio."

This follows the recent UK launch of Lilly and Boehringer Ingelheim's new biosimilar insulin product abasaglar in August.