According to a recent UBC article, a team of researchers at the University of British Columbia is developing a new method for delivering insulin that doesn’t include painful and inconvenient injections. Rather, the insulin is administered via an oral tablet that isn’t swallowed, but instead dissolves between the gum and the cheek. In tests with rats, the team found that the insulin in the latest version of the tablet was absorbed the same way it is when injected. Two hours after delivery, the insulin was in the rats’ livers rather than stomachs, indicating it was properly absorbed into the body.
The team hopes the tablets will reduce insulin costs, and make transporting doses easier than liquid insulin that needs to be kept cold.
