No needling Phosphagenics

Melbourne biotech Phosphagenics will commence a Phase II human trial this month with of a patch alternative to insulin injections for diabetes.

Conducted at the Royal Adelaide Hospital (RAH), the trial will test the efficacy of using Phosphagenics' delivery platform - TPM - to transport insulin across the skin and into the bloodstream in up to 60 patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes. The trial is expected to be completed in the first half of 2008.

Dr Esra Ogru, executive VP of research and development at Phosphagenics, said the trial was another step forward to providing a patch treatment for insulin-dependent diabetics.

"Our aim is to provide a patient-friendly patch that will reduce the need for insulin needle injections for insulin-dependent diabetics," Ogru said.

"In August, our Phase 1b trial showed that our TPM/insulin formulation safely penetrated through the human skin and delivered insulin into the blood stream over a sustained period of time without any adverse reactions.

"This Australian technology has the potential to transform and expand the global diabetes drug market by providing a non-invasive and effective treatment for millions of diabetic people worldwide," she said.

Dr Sepehr Shakib, director of the Department of Clinical Pharmacology at RAH, and Associate Professor William Hsu of the Joslin Diabetes Centre at Harvard Medical School will supervise the trial.

Source: Phosphagenics