InsuPad device may improve insulin therapy

By Sally Robertson, B.Sc.Oct 4 2012

A novel device is currently under development for aiding insulin analog therapy in diabetes patients, report researchers.

The "InsuPad" gadget is based on the phenomena that warming the skin will lead to improved microcirculation and accelerate insulin pharmokinetic profile by inducing faster insulin clearance from the injection site, explained Gabriel Bitton from manufacturer Insuline Medical Ltd, Petach Tikva, Israel at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes 48^th Annual Meeting.

Pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics profiles of current insulin are still slow compared with phsiology, resulting in large postprandial blood glucose excursions in insulin-dependent diabetic individuals, explained Bitton.

However, on testing the device in 10 individuals with Type 2 diabetes (mean glycated hemoglobin level (HbA1c) 8.1%, mean diabetes duration of 24.5 years), Bitton and colleagues found that daily use of the device reduced postprandial glucose levels for up to 300 minutes after consuming a meal. This difference was significant from after 55 minutes and for up to 140 minutes after eating.

When the patients used the device, the glucose excursion during 250 minutes after the start of the meal decreased by 23.9 mg/dL per hour whereas without using it, excursion levels decreased by 63 mg/dL per hour. The corresponding figures at 120 minutes after the start of the meal were 28 mg/dL per hour and 96.4 mg/dL per hour.

In addition, the maximal glucose excursion was also decreased with use of the InsuPad device compared with nonuse, at 79.8 mg/dL versus 136.8 mg/dL.

The researchers say such significant decreases could significantly improve glycemic control and improve HbA1c levels in individuals with Type 2 diabetes if repeated in daily life settings, something they will be investigating in a future study.

For this study, individuals injected 0.2 U/kg doses of insulin and the meal was a standardized liquid meal comprised 474 mL carbohydrates, 100 g protein and 23 g fat.

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