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| Top diabetes authority applauds Apollo's oral insulin |
Prof Paul Zimmet AO | A leading diabetes researcher has praised Apollo Life Sciences for its work to develop an insulin that can be taken orally rather than injected, calling it "the Holy Grail" in treating the disease.
Professor Paul Zimmet AO, director of the International Diabetes Institute, recently joined Apollo's independent scientific advisory board. The Institute aims to conduct clinical trials of Apollo's oral insulin later this year.
If successful, it could mean the end of injections for many people with diabetes who need up to 1,500 insulin shots a year to lower and manage their blood sugar levels.
Tests in diabetic rats indicate that Apollo's oral formula works as effectively as injected insulin.
Professor Zimmet said: "I was amazed with the data. We're very excited about the Apollo formulation and it's quite clear that they have a jump on the rest of the competition.
"We're excited about being part of the clinical trials."
The oral insulin is a major breakthrough because the stomach's digestive acids usually destroy insulin before it can be absorbed by the body. Apollo's formula overcomes this problem with a special protective coating.
Professor Zimmet confirmed Apollo's development is "unique" among its competitors.
"The Holy Grail remains the possibility of an oral form. There has been huge investment around the world, with very little success to date," he said.
"But Apollo seems to have developed a technology that gets quite a significant amount of insulin through the stomach into the bloodstream."
"The data I've seen so far makes this one of the most forward-looking and best prospects of an oral insulin coming to fruition."
Diabetes affects almost 1 million Australians, and 100,000 people develop the disease each year.
Demand for better diabetes treatments, such as oral insulin, will intensify as the population grows fatter and "greyer". Age and obesity are major risk factors for Type 2 diabetes, which accounts for 90% of cases.
Oral insulin also has huge overseas market potential, with India and China's westernisation leading to a potential epidemic of Type 2 diabetes. For further information, visit:
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