With the number of people with diabetes exceeding 304 million, companies worldwide are scrambling to get ahead of each other in the race to find a treatment for diabetes; possibly a pill that is easy to ingest with no nasty side effects. Even though the motive behind their interest in diabetes research is primarily money based, the good news is research in the field is going forward by leaps and bounds, and there is the possibility that in the coming year or two, we might see a complete cure to diabetes. This might seem a bit optimistic but going by the amount of money that is being spent on diabetes research worldwide, there is bound to be a breakthrough sooner or later.
An Israeli Pharmaceutical Company by the name of Oramed is on the verge of developing a pill to replace insulin injections in type 2 diabetes. It would certainly be a relief for patients worldwide who have to use insulin injections each and every day of their lives. The pill is meant for adults with diabetes who have not yet become insulin dependent. The purpose of the pill is to slow down the progression of the condition, and prevent diabetics from becoming insulin dependent.
Phase 2 testing of the medicine will soon be started in the United States. The downside is that the pills can be used for adults only. Critics are also quick to point out that insulin is produced within the body, so actually manufacturing an ingestible form of the hormone might not be possible. What they forget is that similar pills are used to treat hypothyroidism and other conditions where there is a lack of a certain essential hormone in the body. Oramed and other companies are aware of all the possible problems that might come up with taking insulin in pill form. That is why there are so many phases of testing, to make sure the pill is able to accomplish what it was meant to, minimizing the side effects.
