New diabetics avoid insulin injections for up to 4 yrs

USA-based Nektar Therapeutics has welcomed data presented by Pfizer at the 66th annual scientific sessions of the American Diabetes Association showing that many people with type 2 diabetes who should take insulin injections to improve blood sugar control often choose to avoid injections for at least four years or more, despite insulin's proven effectiveness.

The two firms, which co-developed Exubera, the first approved inhaled insulin, say that one study reviewed 2,501 anonymous patient records from more than 100 general practices of the UK's National Health Service database over a 17-year period and showed that half of the patients delayed starting insulin for at least four years after their diabetes pills failed to be effective, even if those subjects already suffered from complications caused by the condition.

A similar analysis, conducted in the USA using a Kaiser Permanente Northwest database of 4,367 anonymous patient records spanning eight years, found that only half of the people taking two diabetes pills (sulfonylurea and metformin) achieved targeted control of blood sugar levels, and half of those subjects delayed the start of insulin for four years.