MannKind developing inhaled diabetes treatment

Although all the technology needed to inhale drug powders may seem to have already been developed, the truth is quite different for those seeking effective treatment of their diabetes. The Danbury research and development facility of MannKind Corp. recently began creating a high-tech, whistle-sized inhaler for its drug powders used in diabetic treatment. And like a whistle, it is used in the mouth, not the nose.

"They are a very smart group that has put together some really great thinking into this device, which is quite different from other inhalers," said Peter Richardson, MannKind's corporate vice president and chief scientific officer. "They've also created this new technology that allows us to simulate the actual anatomy of the mouth and the throat that has led to efficiency in the new device."

The development team for the new device is made up of 10 scientists working among about 270 employees at the Danbury location, Richardson said. A Valencia, Calif.-based biopharmaceutical company founded in 1991, MannKind is seeking approval from the Food and Drug Administration for Afresa, the first drug powder to be administered via inhaler.

Afresa, which would be prescribed for adults with type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus for the treatment of too much blood sugar, may result in less weight gain and lower risk of too little blood sugar, compared with current mealtime insulin therapy, according to MannKind. The inhaler optimizes MannKind's proprietary Technosphere drug-delivery technology, which allows pulmonary administration of therapeutics that usually require an injection. According to MannKind, inhaled powders are rapidly absorbed into the bloodstream without the need for the body to metabolize them to be effective.