Posted on 06/07/2024 1:11:56 PM PDT by Red Badger
Diabetics sick of daily injections may have renewed hope for a less invasive alternative. Scientists at the University of British Columbia (UBC) have developed a new delivery method for insulin where users just place a few drops under their tongue.
A hallmark of diabetes is the inability to produce enough insulin to regulate blood glucose levels. Those with type 1, and many with type 2, will need insulin a few times a day, and that’s usually delivered through a subcutaneous injection. Not only is that uncomfortable, but it can be hard for patients to stick to, and creates potential biohazard waste.
Less invasive methods are in development, with varying levels of success. Experimental techniques include controllable implants, or ultrasound patches that deliver drugs straight through the skin, but the major avenue of research is oral insulin delivery. After all, popping a pill is simple, painless and something many people already do everyday.
But again, there’s a few problems with that, too. Insulin is a fragile molecule that doesn’t survive the journey through the stomach to the intestines, where it can be absorbed into the bloodstream. Encapsulating it in different materials can help, or even making capsules that physically inject it into the lining, but going this way means insulin is first metabolized through the liver, which can change its structure.
For the new study, the UBC team developed a new system that might still be called oral insulin. Instead of being swallowed though, it takes the form of drops placed under the tongue. This method, known as sublingual administration, is useful for drugs that don’t survive the stomach. It’s effective because the tissue under the tongue contains a lot of capillaries, allowing the drug to quickly diffuse into the bloodstream.
(Excerpt) Read more at newatlas.com ...
If insulin shots hurt, I wouldn’t do them. ... but they have made the needles so thin, I literally cannot feel them. I don’t know if they go between nerves, or what... but I marvel every time I dose... it is incredible to see a piece of steel enter your body and you DO NOT FEEL IT.
That’s good when YOU do it.
When it’s the GOVERNMENT doing it, not so much...............
Great news, indeed!
Drops instead of shots would be great.
It’s been well known that some drugs can be taken sublingually for more rapid uptake. Not all pills are designed to dissolve quickly, but some are. In fact, I take a baby aspirin every day, I buy the flavored chewable baby aspiring and dissolve it under my tongue. Tastes OK. Seems to be working as well as if I swallowed the non-chewable version. So yeah, glad if more critical medication can be taken in simpler fashion. Surprised this hasn’t been worked on before given the prevalence of diabetes.
My experience as well.
However, I heard from my doctor, who is well versed in the latest treatments, that a drug company was on the verge of completing the development of an insulin shot that diabetics would need to take only once a week. But then Biden clamped down on insulin prices. Because there is no longer money to made, the company discontinued its development of these shots.
Trade offs.
Brother was involved with a test of inhaled insulin.
After the expt, he never heard from them again.
Looks like some company has moved forward.
Must have been in the very final stages of development and testing.
Drops that probably taste like **** to replace a shot with a tiny, tiny needle that doesn’t hurt? I think I’ll pass.
Well, I'd do them even if they hurt, but as you say the present tech has given us needles so thin you cannot feel them.
What I would wish for is to end the constant finger-sticks! Those DO hurt. Yes, my doctor knows about this thing you wear, which transmits to a smartphone. Two problems. 1.) I won't carry such an invasive device as an iPhone around all the time, and 2.) my insurance won't pay for the gadget anyway.
Also, don’t forget the former President had proposed lowering the cost of insulin. https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/briefings-statements/president-donald-j-trump-reducing-cost-insulin-improving-healthcare-nations-seniors/
I found a finger stick solution that doesn’t hurt, too.
Contact me by freepmail and I will share my painless finger stick technology
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