For years, researchers have trying to create insulin tablets so people with Type 1 Diabetes and Type 2 Diabetes can avoid the dreaded insulin injections. Insulin injections are not only uncomfortable to give to oneself, but they can damage a particular area if the injections are given in the same spot many times. Is it realistic to take insulin in an oral tablet form? Insulin is a protein that is secreted by the pancreas’s beta cells, and it can easily be ingested along with food. Insulin tablets have been tested on animals, but the impact of the insulin is far more inconsistent than when the insulin is injected because of the contents of the stomach and other food consumed. Scientists are struggling to make the oral insulin chemically and physically stable and to make it metabolized more consistently.
Oral insulin in the form of tablets is unlikely to become a commonly used form of medication for people with Type 1 or Type 2 Diabetes. Other approaches are being tested (including devices that allow inhaled insulin), and Exubera is likely to enter the market before insulin tablets.
Small changes in insulin doses can have a dramatic impact on me. I am far more inclined to get something that is precise than to get something that is slightly more comfortable. Nevertheless, oral insulin could be a viable option for many, many people with Type 2 Diabetes.
