Chewing Gum To Treat Diabetes

Generex Biotechnology Corp. (Nasdaq:GNBT), a Toronto company that develops diabetes therapy sprays, has struck a deal with Fertin Pharma A/S to develop a medicinal chewing gum to treat Type-2 diabetes and obesity.

Generex said Wednesday the two companies will develop a gum that contains metformin, a widely used drug to control blood sugar levels in Type-2 diabetics, who don't inject themselves with insulin to control the disease.

Under the deal, Generex will carry out a clinical study to establish the effectiveness of the metformin gum before the company seeks regulatory approvals for the manufacturing, marketing, and sale of the product.

"We are pleased to have established this collaborative relationship with Fertin Pharma, the industry leader in medicinal gum," said Anna Gluskin, Generex's president and chief executive.

"Together, we will continue the Generex mission of improving diabetes care and the quality of life of people with diabetes."

Metformin is a generic drug used to regulate blood sugar levels by reducing the amount of glucose produced by the liver, reducing the amount of glucose absorbed from food in the stomach and by making the insulin produced by the body work more effectively to reduce the amount of glucose already in the blood.

The total U.S. market sales of all forms of metformin are about $1.8 billion US.

The companies said the new metformin medicinal chewing gum will deliver metformin into the body via the inner lining of the mouth rather than in its current tablet form and should provide more rapid delivery and avoid some of the adverse side-effects associated with taking metformin in tablet form such as nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain and diarrhea.



Posted by: JoAnn    Source