A recently conducted clinical trial is suggesting that a new nasal spray might make treating diabetics feeling woozy or turning unconscious due to a drastic drop in their blood sugar levels much easier. The primary ingredient of the said nasal spray is powdered glucagon; for those who don’t know: glucagon is a hormone known for causing a rapid rise in blood sugar levels.
Results of the trial showed that the new nasal spray can treat hypoglycemia (a condition marked by low blood sugar levels) as actually as the only option available currently. The only hypoglycemia treatment we currently have in hand is a glucagon powder, which needs to be mixed with water before getting injected into the patient’s muscle by means of a syringe.
Professor George Grunberger of Wayne State University’s School of Medicine said that as the nasal spray is almost equally effective, but a lot easier to use for an ailing individual, we might soon see the nasal spray becoming the most widely used remedy for severe hypoglycemia. Prof. Grunberger, who is also the current president of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, was not a part of the team conducting the clinical trial.
According to the professor, having an intranasal spray for managing hypoglycemia is truly a big deal. He added that it’s something people around the globe have been demanding for years.
Individuals are suffering from diabetes often end up taking an excessive amount of insulin in their attempt to keep their blood sugar levels within the normal range. This results in a drastic decrease in their blood sugar levels.
If it’s a mild to moderate case of hypoglycemia, the patient in question usually manages to correct his or her blood sugar level by consuming a glass of orange juice or by chewing a hard candy. However, severe cases of hypoglycemia might need to be treated using glucagon.
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Glucagon is available only in the form of power as the sole variety of the hormone that has managed to get approval from the FDA is not shelf-stable.
Grunberger said that for using the powdered glucagon to manage severe hypoglycemia one would need to have the vial of the drug on hand. That’s not all; that person will need to add water to the powder, mix the two well, draw the mix into a syringe and finally inject it into his or her muscle. Grunberger added that using the nasal spray would make the process much shorter and quicker.
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