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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Insulin pill hope for diabetics | Insulin pill hope for diabetics |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Diabetes patients could soon be able to take a pill to control their condition instead of repeated injections, researchers have claimed. | Diabetes patients could soon be able to take a pill to control their condition instead of repeated injections, researchers have claimed. |
| Experts at the Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen have found insulin can be covered by a coating which means it could eventually be taken orally. | Experts at the Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen have found insulin can be covered by a coating which means it could eventually be taken orally. |
| Currently, the drug has to be injected so it is not broken down before it reaches the bloodstream. | |
| The development offers hope to patients with a phobia of needles. | |
| The research, presented at the British Pharmaceutical Conference in Manchester, shows that the coating means that insulin is protected from enzyme breakdown. | The research, presented at the British Pharmaceutical Conference in Manchester, shows that the coating means that insulin is protected from enzyme breakdown. |
| Being able to take insulin orally would have a significant impact on the lives of many of these patients Dr Colin ThompsonRobert Gordon University | Being able to take insulin orally would have a significant impact on the lives of many of these patients Dr Colin ThompsonRobert Gordon University |
| Dr Colin Thompson, of the university's School of Pharmacy, said: "We have been working on developing an oral insulin because studies show that a great many people with diabetes fear injections. | Dr Colin Thompson, of the university's School of Pharmacy, said: "We have been working on developing an oral insulin because studies show that a great many people with diabetes fear injections. |
| "Being able to take insulin orally would have a significant impact on the lives of many of these patients - not just eliminating the need for injections, but also offering a much more convenient form of treatment." | "Being able to take insulin orally would have a significant impact on the lives of many of these patients - not just eliminating the need for injections, but also offering a much more convenient form of treatment." |
| People with type 1 diabetes rely on insulin injections. | People with type 1 diabetes rely on insulin injections. |
| Often, type 2 diabetes can be controlled by diet alone or other oral diabetes drugs. It is only as the disease progresses that insulin may be needed. | Often, type 2 diabetes can be controlled by diet alone or other oral diabetes drugs. It is only as the disease progresses that insulin may be needed. |
| Type 2 diabetes is far more common than type 1. | Type 2 diabetes is far more common than type 1. |
| Other scientists have also been looking at ways to deliver insulin by mouth without it being degraded in the stomach. | Other scientists have also been looking at ways to deliver insulin by mouth without it being degraded in the stomach. |
| Taiwanese investigators are using a chemical found in shrimp shells to protect the drug. | Taiwanese investigators are using a chemical found in shrimp shells to protect the drug. |
| Inhaled insulin is already available to those diabetics with a proven needle phobia or people who have severe trouble injecting. | Inhaled insulin is already available to those diabetics with a proven needle phobia or people who have severe trouble injecting. |