NEW INSULIN DELIVERY SYSTEM TESTED

Diabetics who need to take insulin (type 1s and some type 2s) have had to use either the insulin syringe (the insulin pen is a type of syringe) or the insulin pump, both invasive ways to project a measured dose of medication under the skin.

Because insulin is digestible, an "insulin pill" would not work. Inhaled insulin works (its effects are detectable in the bloodstream), but there are still problems moderating the dose. Now another alternative is being tested.

Remember the "Nicotine Patch?" It looked like a BandAid, and released a tiny amount of nicotine through the skin, as an aid to smoking cessation. Scientists have wondered if such transdermal delivery could work for insulin.

It does work--but it has some problems. The nature of diabetes requires steady, precise and predictable insulin delivery, to preserve euglycemia. Too much or too little insulin can quickly cause an emergency. Different people have different skin types, and a given person's skin can change, due to age, weather, level of physical activity, or state of health.

Noven Pharmaceuticals, of Miami, Florida, is one of the companies exploring this technique, the medicated insulin patch. Its president, Steven Sablotsky, commented, "Research continues... If this proves to be a new way of delivering insulin, commercialization would still be several years away."