Pfizer announces Exubera re-labeling

New labeling has been launched on an insulin inhalation powder that warns over the dangers of lung cancer, it has emerged.

Pfizer has announced the decision to re-label its Exubera product following an ongoing investigation into the link between the use of the treatment and the onset of cancer in patients.

It is reported that Pfizer, in association with the Food and Drug Administration, completed a number of tests using over 9,000 patients that showed there had been no conclusive evidence to suggest Exubera increased the chances of developing the disease.

“The update to the labeling states that all patients who developed lung cancer had a prior history of cigarette smoking and that there were too few cases to determine whether the development of lung cancer is related to the use of Exubera,” the company said in a statement.

The announcement follows Pfizer’s decision in October last year to stop marketing the treatment as it was not fully meeting the needs of patients and was no longer financially successful.