Diabetes is a metabolic disorder characterized by relative or absolute deficiency of
insulin, resulting in
hyperglycemia. The main treatment of diabetes relies on subcutaneous
insulin administration by injection or continuous infusion to control
glucose levels, besides oral
hypoglycemic agents for
type 2 diabetes. Novel routes of
insulin administration are an area of research in the diabetes field as
insulin injection
therapy is burdensome and painful for many patients. Inhalational
insulin is a potential alternative to subcutaneous
insulin in the management of diabetes. The large surface area, good vascularization, immense capacity for solute exchange and ultra-
thinness of the alveolar epithelium facilitates systemic delivery of
insulin via pulmonary administration. Inhaled
insulin has been recently approved by Food and Drug Administration (FDA). It is a novel, rapid-acting inhaled
insulin with a pharmacokinetic profile that is different from all other
insulin products and comparatively safer than the previous failed inhaled
insulin (
Exubera).