The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced on June 27 that it had approved a new diabetes treatment option called Afrezza. This is a novel treatment because it is a fast-acting, inhaled insulin. Afrezza just needs to be administered at the start of every meal, or within 20 minutes of starting. It is, however, important to note that Afrezza is not meant to replace long-acting treatments. Instead, it is used as a complement to standard insulin.

According to the Columbus Dispatch, the FDA approval came with a boxed warning indicating that the drug should not be used in patients with chronic lung diseases, such as asthma, due to reports of breathing spasms. However, for those without such contraindications, Afrezza can be a convenient way to control blood sugar levels.

Medline Plus describes diabetes as a disease in which a person’s blood glucose, or blood sugar, levels are too high.  Glucose comes from the foods people eat.  Insulin is a hormone that helps the glucose get into the cells to give them energy.  Having too much glucose in the blood can be damaging.   Over time, it can damage the eyes, kidneys, and nerves.  Diabetes can also cause heart disease, stroke and even the need to remove a limb.

An estimated 25.8 million people in the U.S., or approximately 8.3 percent of the population, have diabetes. Of these, an estimated 18.8 million cases are diagnosed and seven million are undiagnosed. Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes, where the insulin production or use is impaired. Type 1 diabetes is more severe because insulin is not produced at all.