Now KOSP is playing in the inhaled insulin space, too. Here's the relevant snip from a PR today:
>>The results of the phase IIa trial show that Kos' internally developed inhaled insulin formulation is comparable to the market leading injectable insulin in controlling blood glucose levels, while also reducing blood lipids such as LDL cholesterol and triglycerides. (Please note table of summary results below.) Kos' inhaled insulin formulation also demonstrated bioavailability of up to 23% in a previous phase I human study. The successful completion of these phase I and IIa studies support the safety and efficacy of Kos' patient-friendly, excipient-free formulation.
In the head-to-head comparative study of 24 type 2 diabetic patients, insulin-naive patients were randomized to receive either Kos' inhaled insulin formulation at meals or a single evening injection of insulin glargine, a basal insulin analog marketed by Aventis Pharmaceuticals Inc. under the brand name Lantus® (and currently the most prescribed insulin in the U.S.). Following a one-month treatment period, Kos' inhaled insulin formulation demonstrated a mean reduction in blood glucose of 28%, compared with a mean reduction of 23% with insulin glargine. Kos' formulation also showed a trend toward greater improvement with respect to hemoglobin (Hb) A1c, showing a mean absolute reduction of 1.23 mg/dL, compared with a mean absolute reduction of 1.05 mg/dL with insulin glargine. The safety profiles of both treatments were comparable, with four mild to moderate hypoglycemic episodes occurring in both groups. Additionally, Kos' inhaled insulin formulation produced a 10% reduction of LDL cholesterol at day 28, compared with an increase of 1.4% with insulin glargine. Similarly, triglycerides were reduced by 36% with Kos' inhaled formulation, compared with a 12% reduction with the injectable insulin. Such results are quite important in so far as many type 2 diabetics not only require good control of blood sugar, but also require modulation of abnormal lipids, which occur in more than 60% of all diabetics.
SUMMARY DATA FROM PHASE IIa STUDY IN TYPE 2 DIABETES
Day 7 Day 28
------------------------- --------------------------
Kos Injectable Kos Injectable
Inhaled Insulin Inhaled Insulin
Insulin glargine Insulin glargine
------- -------- ------- --------
(n=12) (n=12) (n=12) (n=12)
Mean Change in
Glucose (%) -26.8 -24.8 -27.8 -23.1
Absolute Change
in Hb A1c
(mg/dL) -0.23 -0.18 -1.23 -1.05
LDL Cholesterol
(%) -5.2 1.9 -9.9 1.4
Triglycerides
(%) -40.7 -28.6 -35.8(1) -11.5
(1) Significant at p less than or equal to 0.05 vs. injectable
insulin glargine (Lantus). Given the small sample size of the study,
statistical significance was not observed with the exception of
triglycerides at day 28, however, results did show trends toward
improvement in post-prandial measures of blood glucose and blood
lipids.
"Injections have long been a hurdle in the treatment of certain patients with diabetes," said Jay Skyler, MD, Director of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism, University of Miami. "A user-friendly inhaled insulin product will open the door for patients who have been hesitant to start therapy or comply with their current treatment."
Kos' excipient-free formulation coupled with Kos' patented compact, hand-held Breath Actuated Inhaler ("BAI") device offers a precision lung delivery platform for insulin therapy. The Kos formulation, which does not require refrigeration, contains no carriers or preservatives and incorporates a crystalline, recombinant human insulin (rh-insulin) delivered by a standard, well-tested non-CFC, environmentally-friendly propellant. In clinical testing, patients and physicians were impressed with the ease of use of the patented BAI delivery system in administering insulin therapy, potentially improving patient compliance. Both the excipient-free formulation and the BAI device were entirely developed internally by Kos. The Company is seeking a corporate partner to complete the clinical development of its innovative inhaled insulin product.
"We are extremely excited about the achievement of these important R&D milestones in both the solid dose and inhalation areas," said Adrian Adams, President and CEO, Kos Pharmaceuticals, Inc. "Kos' inhaled insulin formulation is expected to confer highly potent and patient-friendly insulin therapy that is well tolerated, possibly allaying side effects that have been observed with other preparations of inhaled insulin therapy. This formulation was designed to eliminate specific chemical additives, some of which have been associated with certain pulmonary side effects and have been cited as an issue with earlier generations of inhaled insulin. Further, this excipient-free, user-friendly technology is a product of our continued and measured investments in our inhalation platform, consisting of proprietary formulation and device technologies."<<
Cheers, Tuck |
