MannKind Corporation (NASDAQ: MNKD) today announced that results of a new 16-week trial show that the investigational ultra rapid acting mealtime insulin, AFREZZA™ (insulin human [rDNA origin]) Inhalation Powder, combined with basal insulin, is clearly non-inferior to standard therapy insulin lispro, a rapid acting insulin, also combined with basal insulin, in reducing HbA1c levels in subjects with inadequately controlled Type 1 diabetes. In addition, patients treated with AFREZZA had statistically significant lower rates of hypoglycemia, post-prandial glucose (PPG) levels when measured at 30, 60, 90 and 120 minutes, and fasting blood glucose (FBG) levels when compared to subcutaneously injected insulin lispro.
"Effectively controlling blood sugar levels and managing hypoglycemic events go hand in hand as key to successfully treating patients with Type 1 diabetes," said Satish K. Garg, M.D., Professor, Departments of Pediatrics and Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine; Head, Young Adult Diabetes Clinic, Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes, and lead study investigator. "Our findings demonstrate that AFREZZA may offer a significant advance from current mealtime insulin delivery methods, as it is comparable to the standard of care in glycemic control and provides the additional benefit of lower hypoglycemia rates."
Diabetes, which affects 26.8 million people in the U.S., is characterized by the body's inability to properly regulate levels of blood glucose, or blood sugar. Insulin, a hormone produced by the pancreas, normally regulates the body's glucose levels, but in people with diabetes insufficient levels of insulin are produced or the body fails to respond adequately to the insulin it produces. Historically, mealtime insulin therapy regimens have had a number of limitations, including the risk of severe hypoglycemia, the likelihood of weight gain, inadequate post-meal glucose control, the need for complex titration of insulin doses in connection with meals and the need for injections. Additionally, these therapies have not mimicked the natural time-action profile of insulin normally seen in healthy individuals and presented challenges in maintaining compliance.
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