COPENHAGEN - Pfizer's Exubera, the inhaled form of insulin works even if the diabetic patient has a cold or flu, researchers said at the 42nd annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes.
Pfizer recently introduced Exubera using a inhaler technology developed by Nektar Therapeutics. At the meeting, an analysis of five clinical trials showed that Exubera was linked to lesser weight gain in individuals who used it as compared to those who used injectable insulin.
"This information is important for healthcare providers,” Professor Philippe Camus of the University Medical Center, Dijon in France was quoted by Reuters as saying. "It shows that the efficacy and tolerability of Exubera remain unchanged even if patients develop a cold or the flu. Also, studies showed patients taking Exubera are no more likely to develop a respiratory infection than patients using injectable insulin."
Pfizer also revealed that Exubera was useful even when people were exposed to smoky environments at work. However the absorption of the inhaled insulin could be reduced in such circumstances.
