A product designed to deliver insulin from inhalation into the lungs was discontinued today after a test group of users had a much higher-than-expected rate of lung cancer. Here's what the AP wrote this morning:
NEW YORK (Associated Press) - An already faltering pharmaceutical industry effort to develop inhaled insulin suffered another severe blow Wednesday after Pfizer Inc. said its now-discontinued Exubera could cause lung cancer.
Pfizer pulled the product from the market late last year after sales failed to gain ground, though some patients continue taking the drug. The company's former partner, San Carlos, Calif.-based Nektar Therapeutics, said it will end its inhaled insulin programs.
Pfizer said Exubera's label noted that patients who developed lung cancer had a history of cigarette smoking, and there were too few cases to determine whether the cancer is related to the insulin.
Exubera was developed by its two inventors over a 14-year period, at a cost of $1-billion, and the company was called Nektar. After Nektar was formed, Pfizer came aboard to market the product. But when the lung cancers and other lung problems started popping up, Pfizer pulled out of the deal in October 2007 with a loss of $2.8-billion.
Exubera is insulin in microscopic powder form. An inhaler that looks as ridiculous as the American Heatbar sprays the powder through the mouth, where it is sucked into the lungs. The tiny particles of powder move through the lungs' walls into the blood stream -- in about 10 seconds (much like nicotine).
Shortly after testing began, the drug is said to have caused coughing, dry mouth and chest discomfort in some of those testing it.
Then came a warning:
You should not take EXUBERA if you have an unstable or poorly controlled lung disease (such as unstable or poorly controlled asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) or if you smoke, start smoking, or quit smoking less than 6 months ago.
It now appears former smokers were particularly suspectible to further lung damage from inhaling the powder.
Maybe this has nothing to do with the propylene glycol in our delivered vapor. My concern is that no agency seems to have investigated inhaling PG over a long time period. Let's just hope we don't discover that the former smokers among us -- me included -- have lungs easily susceptible to further damage by innocuous or even seemingly helpful chemicals.
NEW YORK (Associated Press) - An already faltering pharmaceutical industry effort to develop inhaled insulin suffered another severe blow Wednesday after Pfizer Inc. said its now-discontinued Exubera could cause lung cancer.
Pfizer pulled the product from the market late last year after sales failed to gain ground, though some patients continue taking the drug. The company's former partner, San Carlos, Calif.-based Nektar Therapeutics, said it will end its inhaled insulin programs.
Pfizer said Exubera's label noted that patients who developed lung cancer had a history of cigarette smoking, and there were too few cases to determine whether the cancer is related to the insulin.
Exubera was developed by its two inventors over a 14-year period, at a cost of $1-billion, and the company was called Nektar. After Nektar was formed, Pfizer came aboard to market the product. But when the lung cancers and other lung problems started popping up, Pfizer pulled out of the deal in October 2007 with a loss of $2.8-billion.
Exubera is insulin in microscopic powder form. An inhaler that looks as ridiculous as the American Heatbar sprays the powder through the mouth, where it is sucked into the lungs. The tiny particles of powder move through the lungs' walls into the blood stream -- in about 10 seconds (much like nicotine).
Shortly after testing began, the drug is said to have caused coughing, dry mouth and chest discomfort in some of those testing it.
Then came a warning:
You should not take EXUBERA if you have an unstable or poorly controlled lung disease (such as unstable or poorly controlled asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) or if you smoke, start smoking, or quit smoking less than 6 months ago.
It now appears former smokers were particularly suspectible to further lung damage from inhaling the powder.
Maybe this has nothing to do with the propylene glycol in our delivered vapor. My concern is that no agency seems to have investigated inhaling PG over a long time period. Let's just hope we don't discover that the former smokers among us -- me included -- have lungs easily susceptible to further damage by innocuous or even seemingly helpful chemicals.
