A group of researchers in the Diabetes Unit of the Internal Medicine Division at Hadassah University Hospital, Ein Kerem, completed pilot trials last week on oral administration of insulin. The phase I study conducted by Dr. Miriam Kidron, Dr. Yoram Menachem and the Head of the Diabetes Unit, Prof. Hanoch Bar-On evaluated the effectiveness of single administration of oral insulin capsules on blood sugar levels in 12 healthy human volunteers.

The participants received single doses of commercial insulin in combination with a novel delivery technology developed by Emisphere Technologies of Tarrytown, New York, in an oral capsule formulation . The oral insulin preparation was extremely well tolerated and there were no significant side effects. The researchers feel confident that similar promising results will be obtained in follow-on trials with diabetic patients. The study has the approval of the Israel Ministry of Health and is conducted under the guidelines of the Helsinki committee.

The development of an insulin pill will enable millions of diabetics throughout the world, especially those with type I diabetes, to enjoy an improved quality of life and better management of their illness. The benefit to those who currently rely on injectable insulin, and especially those who do not use the drug because of the inconvenience of current delivery methods (injection), is inestimable. Prof. Norman Fleischer, Endocrinology Department of the Albert Einstein School of Medicine in New York commented:

"Diabetes is one of the most rapidly growing diseases in the world and is one that requires constant, often unpleasant, drug regimen. The results of this study are very encouraging and are just the first step in bringing the oral formulation of insulin to the market. We look forward to additional studies that will not only prove that the delivery of oral insulin is possible, but that it is a viable therapy for diabetes sufferers worldwide."