TAMPA, Fla. — The FDA just approved the use of inhaled insulin (Afrezza) for children who have diabetes.
Tampa Bay 28 Anchor Lauren St. Germain covers medical news, and she is committed to letting viewers know about innovations that could benefit their family.
St. Germain met with Dr. Henry Rodriguez, who is the Clinical Director at the USF Diabetes and Endocrinology Center.
Dr. Rodriguez said this has been available for adults for a while, but now it’s approved for kids six and up. He explains that having more options allows them to better tailor diabetes management and hopefully make it less burdensome.
“Diabetes is demanding on the individual, particularly if they require insulin. They have to manage their diet, they have to look at their exercise...even stress will affect your blood sugar levels, and then you adjust insulin based on that. So, having another tool in your toolbox to be able to say, well, does this fit in better with your lifestyle? Does this meet your needs in a better way than these other options? I think that is always advantageous," said Dr. Rodriguez.
He explained this therapy is not intranasal or oral. Instead, the patient inhales the insulin, and it gets absorbed in the lungs.
“This differs from injectable insulin because it’s more rapid in its onset of action and it’s more limited in its duration of action,” said Dr. Rodriguez.
USF was involved in some of the early studies with the manufacturer, looking at dosing, safety, and efficacy. For now, USF is one of a few clinical centers around the country that will have this therapy available for kids.
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