Abstract

Over 2 million people in the UK have diabetes mellitus, of whom around 20% have type 1 and 80% type 2 disease.1 A key aim of treatment is to optimise glycaemic control to minimise symptoms, prevent complications and extend survival. To these ends, subcutaneous insulin is used to manage all patients with type 1 diabetes and some patients with type 2 diabetes. Another potential route of administering insulin is by inhalation. ▼Exubera (Pfizer), the first licensed inhaled insulin in the UK, is promoted as “the new look of insulin” and as maintaining “long-term glycaemic control”. What does it offer in the management of patients with diabetes?