Vectura's QDose shows efficacy in study

UK-based pulmonary drug developer Vectura says that data from a study of its inhaled insulin product QDose indicate that it is safe and effective, achieving peak levels of insulin activity ahead of competitor products administered by subcutaneous injection.

The findings are from a glucose clamp study, designed to provide constant blood sugar levels for the accurate assessment of the therapeutic effectiveness and bioavailability of insulin preparations, which was conducted at the Profil Institute for Clinical Research in San Diego, USA. The program enrolled 14 healthy male volunteers.

The Chippenham-headquartered company said that the results showed that QDose has a faster onset of action than subcutaneous insulin. The firm added that the drug has around 18% bioavailability in the three-hour period after administration, which it said was comparable with that of currently-available insulin products.