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Novel microneedle device improves insulin injection in type 2 diabetes
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A new microneedle device for intradermal insulin delivery showed a superior pharmacokinetic profile compared with a standard needle in patients with type 2 diabetes, according to data from a pilot study.
Researchers have explored the possibility of using intradermal injections to administer insulin analogues due to their association with faster drug absorption and possibly improved insulin pharmacokinetics, according to Efrat Kochba, MD, of NanoPass Technologies Ltd. in Nes Ziona, Israel, and colleagues. Currently, intradermal injections are administered using standard metal needles.
“The challenge of using a standard needle to directly target the dermis without injecting too deep into the subcutaneous space or leaking externally, both frequently occurring, has limited the widespread use of [intradermal] injection,” Kochba and colleagues wrote. “Microneedles have been developed to facilitate reliable [intradermal] administration routes, which due to their minute size enable targeting the formulation injected into the dermis with maximal accuracy.”
Kochba and colleagues administered insulin to patients with type 2 diabetes aged 30 to70 years (n = 17) via intradermal injections using a MicronJet needle (NanoPass Technologies Ltd.) or via subcutaneous injections using a standard needle. The MicronJet needle contains four microneedles measuring 0.45 mm mounted on a standard syringe. Thirteen patients received the injections while fasting, and four received injections before a standard meal test.
Kochba and colleagues reported intradermal injection showed a significantly shorter Tmax than subcutaneous injection (median 35 vs. 87.5 min; P < .001), and that there was no significant difference in Cmax (median 80 vs. 55 µU/mL; P = .085). Insulin delivered by the intradermal and subcutaneous methods also had similar relative bioavailability (median 0.91; 95% CI, 0.73 to 1.27), the researchers reported.
Kochba and colleagues reported that the insulin dose used in the studies was smaller than what patients with type 2 diabetes may require, and that they did not assess variability among participants because of the small number of patients who received more than one injection of each type.
“In conclusion, the [pharmacokinetic] profile of [intradermal] insulin delivery by MicronJet in patients with type 2 diabetes is improved — reaching earlier systemic insulin levels, lower late insulin levels, and higher late glucose levels, potentially reducing the risk for postprandial hypoglycemia,” the researchers wrote. “The lack of significant safety, convenience or tolerability issues supports the use of the MicronJet needle in patients with diabetes.” – by Andy Polhamus
Disclosure: Kochba reports being an employee of NanoPass Technologies. Please see the full study for a complete list of all other researchers’ financial disclosures.
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