--- title: One insulin tablet a day… Profil study shows promise for alternative to insulin injections description: Profil presents promising results of a phase2a double-blind study comparing the efficacy of a basal oral insulin tablet to insulin glargine injection image: https://blog.profil.com/hubfs/pills.jpg --- [![profil-logo-wortbild-with claim-4c-offset_1000px](https://blog.profil.com/hs-fs/hubfs/profil-logo-wortbild-with%20claim-4c-offset_1000px.png?width=250&name=profil-logo-wortbild-with%20claim-4c-offset_1000px.png "profil-logo-wortbild-with claim-4c-offset_1000px")](https://www.profil.com) [![Contact](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/481167/1f89c7d1-107f-4c8d-aa7b-f85d0dce14da.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/481167/1f89c7d1-107f-4c8d-aa7b-f85d0dce14da) [Patient information](https://www.profil.de) ![Header_1077x260px_About_Profil.jpg](https://blog.profil.com/hs-fs/hubfs/BLUE_MOON/Header/Header_1077x260px_About_Profil.jpg?width=1077&name=Header_1077x260px_About_Profil.jpg "Header_1077x260px_About_Profil.jpg") # One insulin tablet a day… Profil study shows promise for alternative to insulin injections ![Tatiana](https://blog.profil.com/hubfs/Mitarbeiter/tatiana_hexagon.png) Posted by [Tatiana Dicenzo](https://blog.profil.com/blog/author/tatiana-dicenzo) on Aug 22, 2017 5:37:00 PM ![Two clicks for more privacy: The linkedin Share button will be enabled once you click here. Activating the button already sends data to linkedin.](https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hub/3825816/hubfs/BM/IN.png?width=20&name=IN.png "Two clicks for more privacy: The linkedin Share button will be enabled once you click here. Activating the button already sends data to linkedin.") ![Two clicks for more privacy: The Twitter Share button will be enabled once you click here. Activating the button already sends data to Twitter.](https://blog.profil.com/hubfs/BLUE_MOON/twitter.png "Two clicks for more privacy: The Twitter Share button will be enabled once you click here. Activating the button already sends data to Twitter.") The current advances in diabetes treatment are impressive. Much has changed since 1922, when the first insulin started to be manufactured and Type 1 diabetes was considered a fatal disease.  Improvements in insulin formulations and their administration have allowed people with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes to enjoy longer life expectancy and better quality of life. Although the treatment of Type 2 Diabetes may include different types of drugs, the [WHO](http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs138/en/) estimates that 40% of patients with diabetes depend on insulin injections as part of their treatments. The value of insulin is undeniable; however, having to inject insulin every day is a major burden for many patients. In light of that, there is a lot of expectation surrounding the development of alternative routes of insulin administration, especially the development of an oral insulin, as they are expected to overcome barriers to starting insulin therapy and increase patient compliance. ![pills.jpg](https://blog.profil.com/hs-fs/hubfs/pills.jpg?width=520&height=272&name=pills.jpg) ### Groundbreaking data To date, [very little success](http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1932296814529988) has been reported in this area. This is why the results of a phase2a, randomised, double-blind feasibility study conducted by Profil, on behalf of Novo Nordisk, were received with so much enthusiasm during [Dr. Leona Plum-Mörschel’](https://info.profil.com/contact-leona-plum-moerschel)s presentation at the American Diabetes Association 77(th) Scientific Sessions. The study compared the efficacy and safety of a long-acting oral insulin tablet to subcutaneous Insulin Glargine Injection.  50 insulin-naïve Type 2 Diabetes patients participated, who were not well controlled on their current oral anti-diabetes medication. The 8 week treatment consisted of a daily oral insulin and a placebo injection for one group of patients, and a daily insulin glargine injection and a placebo oral insulin for the second group. Patients in both groups continued their treatment with metformin and DPP-4 inhibitor during the trial. The results revealed that, for the first time, an oral basal insulin can safely and considerably improve glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes with no significant differences from insulin glargine injection. Both oral and injectable insulin had similar improvements of fasting plasma glucose, HbA1c and fructosamine. [No severe adverse events were reported](https://app.core-apps.com/tristar_ada17/abstract/d3016ab14c7d6f32fbcf1a9da1e4da5b) and the occurrences of minor adverse events were similar in both groups (15 patients from the oral insulin group and 17 from the insulin glargine group, respectively). The incidence of hypoglycemia in both groups was also comparable, with 6 patients in each group reporting hypoglycemic events, consisting of 7 incidents with oral insulin and 11 incidents with insulin glargine. ### Is there further hope for oral insulin? Although the results were promising, Novo Nordisk decided to [discontinue the development of the oral insulin](https://pharmaphorum.com/news/oral-insulin-still-reality-says-novo-nordisk/) as the costs of a large scale production proved to be commercially unviable due to low bioavailability, requiring large quantities of insulin to be added to its formulation. However, Novo Nordisk’s Science Chief recently declared that they are [still working on finding a way to increase uptake in the body](http://medwatch.dk/Top_picks_in_english/article9120346.ece?service=printversion). If they manage to find a solution, Novo will resume the development of oral insulin, so there is still a light in the end of the tunnel.   Topics: [Clinical Trials in Diabetes](https://blog.profil.com/blog/topic/clinical-trials-in-diabetes) [Leave a comment](https://blog.profil.com/blog/profil-study-shows-promise-for-alternative-to-insulin-injections#comment_form) ### Subscribe to Email Updates ### Our most popular Posts ### Posts by Topic - [Clinical Trials in Diabetes (127)](https://blog.profil.com/blog/topic/clinical-trials-in-diabetes) - [About Profil (69)](https://blog.profil.com/blog/topic/about-profil) - [Clinical Trial Methods (68)](https://blog.profil.com/blog/topic/clinical-trial-methods) - [The Science behind Diabetes (64)](https://blog.profil.com/blog/topic/the-science-behind-diabetes) - [Treating Diabetes (62)](https://blog.profil.com/blog/topic/treating-diabetes) - [Diabetes Technology (41)](https://blog.profil.com/blog/topic/diabetes-technology) - [Clinical trials in Obesity (11)](https://blog.profil.com/blog/topic/clinical-trials-in-obesity) - [Events (4)](https://blog.profil.com/blog/topic/events) - [CRO selection (2)](https://blog.profil.com/blog/topic/cro-selection) - [Regulatory Affairs (2)](https://blog.profil.com/blog/topic/regulatory-affairs) [see all](https://blog.profil.com/blog/profil-study-shows-promise-for-alternative-to-insulin-injections#) ## You might also like this post ### ["What are glucose clamps and why do we need them?"](https://blog.profil.com/blog/what-are-glucose-clamps-and-why-do-we-need-them)