Oramed oral insulin product completes Ph Ia trial

Oramed Pharmaceuticals, an Israeli developer of peptide delivery systems, says it has created a new oral method for taking inulin that mimics the way the body naturally processes the hormone. The firm's product is in the form of a capsule that allows the drug to pass through the gastrointestinal tract to the liver, from where it can enter the circulatory system.

Oramed's chief executive, Nadav Kidron, said that "oral insulin delivery is an idea with huge potential not only for patients who dislike needles but, with the insulin market generating $25.0 billion a year in worldwide revenues, it represents an enormous opportunity for drug developers as well." Previously, completed Phase Ia and Ib trials indicate that the developmental candidate has favorable safety, tolerability and absorption profiles (Marketletter August 20, 2007).