New, helpful inventions are in the works.
Scientists and companies are working tirelessly to develop new, helpful products for people with diabetes.
Until there's a cure, new developments to treat diabetes provide important help in keeping your diabetes under the best control possible.
Before you read on to find out more about the latest, remember that any new product must get approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which can take a lot of time and effort. Some of these products are available now, but others are still in development. Now, here's the scoop.
New Stuff
Insulin glargine. Insulin analogs are man-made substances that work like insulin, only better.
Continuous glucose monitoring. How would you like to prick your finger dozens of times a day to test your blood sugar? Probably not much! But what if your blood glucose could be monitored continuously without finger pricks?
New diabetes management software. Meter and pump companies are always coming out with new computer software to make it easier to manage diabetes.
In Development
Inhaled insulin. Scientists think the lungs should also provide an excellent mechanism to get certain drugs—such as insulin—into the bloodstream quickly. A few inhaled insulin products are being developed.
Maybe Someday
Bioartificial pancreas. There are a lot of ideas that scientists think would be cool, but they're a long way from being ready. One such idea is the "bioartificial pancreas," which scientists have been working on for nearly 30 years!
"Closed-loop" insulin pump. A closed-loop pump would automatically change the amount of insulin supplied in response to changing blood glucose levels.
Oral insulin. You may have heard news about a breakthrough a couple of years ago involving an insulin pill. Researchers from Purdue University invented a very clever way to deliver insulin by mouth.
