Diabetics to get needle-free care

By Anita Manning
USA Today

Recent innovations allow diabetics to monitor and control blood sugar without needles. Advertiser library photo • 2002

Among innovations:

No-needle testing. A new glucose monitor could be the first to replace the finger-stick method now used by millions of diabetics to test the amount of sugar in their blood, developers at Abbott Diabetes Care say.

The FreeStyle Navigator uses a three-day patch worn on the stomach or upper arm that sends data wirelessly to a pager-like receiver that can be kept in a pocket or a purse.

A plastic disc on the patch holds a hair-like filament with an electrochemical sensor at the tip that samples tissue just under the skin. It provides a steady stream of information on glucose levels and indicates whether the levels are rising or falling, allowing people with diabetes to take action to prevent problems. When levels rise too high or low for safety, an alarm sounds.

Other needle-free glucose monitors on the market are licensed only for use with traditional glucose monitors, which analyze small amounts of blood taken from the fingertip or other parts of the body.

In clinical studies on the Navigator, including one that involved 120 people with type 1 or type 2 diabetes who used the device on their own for 21 days, its accuracy was similar to that of finger-stick monitors, says Ed Fiorentino, president of Abbot Diabetes Care.

No-stick insulin. A fast-acting inhaled insulin provides control of blood sugar without harming the lungs and is preferred by patients over injections and oral medications, scientists reported in several studies.

One study found that after four years of use, lung function and control of blood sugars were maintained; another found that patients are more likely to accept insulin therapy when given the option of an inhaled form of the hormone.

Exubera, being developed by Pfizer and Aventis for patients with both major types of diabetes, has been submitted for licensing in Europe but not yet in the United States. It uses a special inhaler and powdered form of insulin created by Nektar Therapeutics.

For type 1 diabetics who need added insulin every day, inhaled insulin is not likely to replace shots, says Richard Kahn, scientific director of the American Diabetes Association, but studies indicate it is safe and effective and could supplement traditional therapies.

More than 18 million Americans have diabetes, mostly type 2, which is caused by the body's inability to use insulin efficiently or produce enough of it. Type 1 diabetes is caused by the destruction of insulin-producing cells in the pancreas and results in the need for daily insulin injections.