FDA approves nasal spray for diabetes treatment

Traditionally used for colds and allergies, nasal sprays can now be used to treat diabetes with the FDA approval.

The FDA has put its seal of approval on the use of nasal sprays to administer diabetes treatment in the form of powdered glucagon. According to the Insight Ticker, glucagon is a hormone which prompts a nearly immediate increase in blood sugar levels.

FDA’s approval followed a successful clinical trial that showed the drug has efficacy relatively equivalent to that of a glucagon powder for treating hypoglycemia or low blood sugar. The powder needs to be mixed with water and then injected into a muscle with the help of a syringe.

The nasal spray, fortunately, would need no mixing, making it easier for anyone, even a child, to administer it.

Wayne State University School of Medicine clinical professor George Grunberger has welcomed the development as “a big deal.”

“This is something which people have been crying for, for years. It was only a matter of time before something more practical came onto the market,” he said.

However, an assistant professor of endocrinology and diabetes at the Mount Sinai Icahn School of Medicine, Dr. Deena Adimoolam, is concerned about the slightly delayed reaction of the spray. The delay, she said, could cause serious problems such as seizure or loss of consciousness.

The clinical trials and the project had been funded by Locemia Solution, the pharmaceutical giant who came up with the novel nasal spray.

According to the Monitor Daily, the powdered glucagon solution is very effective in treating patients with low blood sugar, especially when they feel dizzy or they fall unconscious.

The clinical trial involved approximately 75 diabetes patients. Initial results showed that their condition improved after using this new treatment.

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