Type 2 diabetes is a complex chronic disease1 that occurs when the body cannot make enough insulin or use it effectively.2 People living with type 2 diabetes need treatment in order to keep their insulin and blood sugar levels under control.1
Insulin is a hormone made by the pancreas that controls the amount of glucose in the blood. Too little insulin means the body cannot absorb glucose from the food we eat. When this happens, blood glucose levels rise, and over time, these increased levels can damage blood vessels.1
People living with type 2 diabetes, whose bodies do not respond well, or are resistant to insulin, may need treatment to help their bodies better process glucose. This can help prevent long-term complications.1
Every day, we are working to improve treatment options for people living with type 2 diabetes. From more effective medicines to the way they are taken, we leave no stone unturned.
1- Mayoclinic. Type 2 diabetes. Available at: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/type-2-diabetes/symptoms-causes/syc-20351193?p=1; last accessed 27.11.2022
2- Diabetes UK. Type 2 diabetes. Available at: https://www.diabetes.org.uk/diabetes-the-basics/types-of-diabetes/type-2; last accessed 27.11.2022
In the last half century, rates of type 2 diabetes have skyrocketed around the world. Today, hundreds of millions of people are living with the disease, putting a strain on individuals, families and our healthcare systems.
We are committed to driving change to improve treatment options for people living with type 2 diabetes – from more effective medicines to better delivery systems that make management simpler and more convenient.
Searching for new treatments for type 2 diabetes
Searching for new treatments for type 2 diabetes
Our scientists work with a simple purpose - find the unmet needs in chronic disease and translate them into new therapeutic solutions. One of those ideas is advancing type 2 diabetes treatment from injections to tablets.
This has been a goal for many years, but the gastrointestinal tract has many physiological barriers which prevent optimal delivery of oral insulin. The absorbed insulin has to go through first pass metabolism at liver before reaching at peripheral sites of action unlike sub-cutaneously administered insulin which directly reaches peripheral sites. Various workers have tried different approaches to overcome the mentioned barriers.5
The major goal in the development of oral insulins is to bypass these natural defense mechanisms to allow for insulin entry into the gastrointestinal tract.6
1- WHO (World Health Organization).prevalence of type 2 diabetes. Available at: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/diabetes; last accessed 23.10.2022
2- Safiri S, Karamzad N, Kaufman JS, Bell AW, Nejadghaderi SA, et al. Prevalence, Deaths and Disability-Adjusted-Life-Years (DALYs) Due to Type 2 Diabetes and Its Attributable Risk Factors in 204 Countries and Territories, 1990-2019: Results From the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. Frontiers in endocrinology. 2022;13.
3- American Heart Association. Cardiovascular Disease and Diabetes. Available at: https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/diabetes/diabetes-complications-and-risks/cardiovascular-disease--diabetes; Last accessed 23.10.2022
4- Wu Y, Ding Y, Tanaka Y, Zhang W. Risk factors contributing to type 2 diabetes and recent advances in the treatment and prevention. International journal of medical sciences. 2014;11(11):1185.
5- Kalra S, Kalra B, Agrawal N. Oral insulin. Diabetology & metabolic syndrome. 2010;2(1):1-4.
6- Tibaldi JM. Evolution of insulin development: focus on key parameters. Advances in therapy. 2012 Jul;29(7):590-619.
For almost 100 years, we have been discovering new ways insulin is injected. This has been driven by our commitment to make drug delivery as simple and convenient as possible.1
Our starting place is the people living with type 2 diabetes, listening to their challenges when self-treating1, and understanding how to make treatment safer and easier.
We use scientific methods from anthropology to biochemistry to provide data and direction to our research and engineering skills, and experience.
Within the field of type 2 diabetes, we are currently researching into the following areas:
- Glucose-responsive insulins
- Connected devices
- Oral antidiabetics
- Cardiovascular benefit
- Weight reduction
1- Peyrot M, Barnett AH, Meneghini LF, Schumm‐Draeger PM. Insulin adherence behaviours and barriers in the multinational Global Attitudes of Patients and Physicians in Insulin Therapy study. Diabetic Medicine. 2012 May;29(5):682-9.
